Ask for the cobas^® HPV Test

Yes. Although no test can be 100% accurate, the cobas^® HPV Test was studied in over 47,000 American women in the landmark ATHENA clinical study. It was the largest US clinical trial to measure the value of high-risk HPV testing, including individual testing for HPV 16 and HPV 18. The study demonstrated, that 1 in 10 women who tested positive for HPV 16 or HPV 18 with the cobas^® HPV Test had evidence of cervical pre-cancer even though their Pap test result was normal.¹ The results proved that testing for high-risk HPV was more effective than a Pap test alone for the detection of cervical pre-cancer.

Most HPV tests combine (or pool) the high-risk HPV types and give you just one result—letting you know if you are positive or negative for high-risk HPV. But these “pooled” results do not tell which high-risk HPV types you may have.

The cobas^® HPV Test will tell if you are not only positive for high-risk HPV types, but if you specifically have HPV 16 or HPV 18. These two are the highest-risk types, and cause about 70% of all cervical cancers.

This test gives a more complete picture of your cervical cancer risk, so that you and your doctor can make immediate decisions about next steps for prevention. 

Ask your doctor about the test at your next appointment. Your doctor may know it as the “pooled and 16/18” HPV test, or the “three-in-one” HPV test. 

The sample for the cobas^® HPV Test is collected in exactly the same way as it is for the Pap test. Your healthcare provider will use an instrument, called a speculum, to look into your vagina. Another device is then inserted to collect cell samples from the cervix. The samples are placed in a liquid bottle and sent to a laboratory for the HPV test. 

Most health plans cover checkups, which would include a Pap and/or HPV test. In the U.S., the Affordable Care Act (ACA) encourages health plans to cover high-risk HPV testing for women who are 30 years of age and older in addition to the Pap test. Learn how the Affordable Care Act affects coverage of women’s healthcare.

A positive test result does not necessarily mean you have cervical cancer. It only means you are at increased risk for cervical cancer. Learn more about what your test results could mean. 

The ATHENA study demonstrated that women who tested negative for the 14 high-risk HPV types (including HPV 16 and HPV 18) using the cobas^®HPV Test had less than 1% chance of developing cervical pre-cancer within 3 years.² A negative test result for high-risk HPV  means that you have a very low risk of developing cervical cancer.