Quebec starting to offer HPV test as replacement to Pap test

Human papillomavirus testing.

Half of Quebec’s administrative regions are now offering the human papillomavirus (HPV) screening test, which is expected to replace the Pap test throughout the province by the end of the year.

The Montérégie is the most recent region to make the change.

The HPV test is used to screen for cervical cancer.

It is more accurate at detecting the presence of the high-risk human papillomavirus, which can lead to precancerous lesions and, if left untreated, cervical cancer.

The HPV test has already replaced the Pap test in the Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie, Chaudière-Appalaches, Lanaudière, Outaouais, Laval, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and Côte-Nord regions.

Unlike Pap tests, which are carried out every two years, HPV tests are carried out every five years in most cases.

Infection with the human papillomavirus is the main cause of cervical cancer.

Screening remains the best way of preventing this cancer, which is avoidable when detected at the pre-cancerous stage.

In recent years, there has been an increase in cervical cancer.

The latest Canadian data show that cervical cancer is now the fastest-growing cancer among women.

After declining for three decades, the incidence of cervical cancer rose by 3.7 per cent per year between 2015 and 2019, according to the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS).

This is the first significant increase since 1984.

The CCS estimates that 1,600 Canadian women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in the next year, and 400 will die from it.

“We are continuing to roll out HPV testing throughout Quebec. This is in line with the government’s vision of doing even more to prevent cervical cancer. By making this test more accessible, we are enabling more women to benefit from more effective screening, thereby helping to save lives,” Health Minister Christian Dubé said in a press release.

In 2022, Dubé announced that the HPV test would be introduced as the primary screening test for cervical cancer, following the recommendations of the Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS).

Last fall, the Ministry of Health announced that the HPV vaccine is available free of charge to anyone aged 20 or under.

It is also being offered for free to the entire population until the remaining doses run out.

People wishing to receive the vaccine can make an appointment via the ClicSanté online portal.

Screening and vaccination are effective ways of combating cervical cancer.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French May 23, 2025.

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