( CNN ) -- The Pap test , the gold standard for detecting cervical cancer for 60 years , may be losing its luster . An FDA advisory committee unanimously recommended this week that a particular HPV test become the first line of screening for the deadly disease . The test developed by Roche detects the DNA of the human papillomavirus , or HPV , which is the cause of more than 99 % of all cervical cancers . The Pap test is designed to look for abnormal squamous cells that could indicate cervical cancer . Both tests are performed with a vaginal swab . Up until now , the Pap was the first test women had to detect the illness , with the HPV test as a second analysis . But if the FDA follows the advisory committee 's recommendations , that would change . The committee , which voted unanimously to make the switch , would only allow the Roche cobas test to be used alone as the primary evaluation for women 25 years and older . Although there are other HPV tests available , the Roche test detects two strains of the virus that are found in 70 % of all cervical cancers . `` Every year , 12,000 women are diagnosed in the U.S. with cervical cancer . This is especially tragic because cervical cancer is a largely preventable disease , and it is well established that HPV is the cause of almost all cervical cancers worldwide . Women need better access to screening tools that include primary HPV screening in order to reduce their risk of developing cervical cancer , '' said Dr. Thomas Wright Jr. , an expert in gynecology and pathology at Columbia University Medical Center . `` I am pleased that the FDA panel recognized the importance of validated , scientific evidence documenting the use of primary HPV screening to detect women at risk of invasive cervical cancer and allow us to prevent cervical cancer from developing . '' This does not mean the Pap test will go away . It will really be up to the physician and the patient on how best to handle testing . But according to women 's health experts , in most cases , patients who do n't have HPV are less likely to need a Pap , which is why the advisory committee felt it best to recommend the Roche test be administered as the first form of detection . `` I think anytime guidelines are changed , it becomes confusing for both patients and physicians . And we 're going to have to do more research on what 's best , '' said Dr. Angela Marshall , director of Comprehensive Women 's Health of Maryland . `` But the fact that the FDA is looking to make these changes says we 've made great strides in detecting and treating cervical cancer . '' Many physicians are viewing the recommendations with caution . `` Use of the Pap test and HPV test in tandem , or co-testing , is currently the preferred method of cervical cancer screening in women over 30 , so ob-gyns generally use the combination . The use of the HPV test as a first-line screen is promising , and appears better than the Pap test used by itself . The real question is how it compares to co-testing , which is not yet clear , '' said Dr. David Chelmow of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center . Chelmow also spoke on behalf of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists at the advisory committee meeting . `` About half of the cervical cancers diagnosed in the United States are found in women who were never screened for the disease . At this time , primary screening is not part of any of the generally used clinical practice guidelines . '' Current U.S. guidelines for cervical cancer detection recommend that women between age 30 and 65 undergo the Pap test alone every three years , or both the HPV and the Pap tests every five years . Although the FDA does not have to follow the recommendations of its advisory committee , in most cases it does .
FDA Advisory committee says a particular HPV test should be first line of screening . Pap test has been first way to diagnose cervical cancer for 60 years . Comment: