A test that detects DNA from the human papillomavirus (HPV) is better than smear tests alone for preventing cervical cancer in over-30s, a study suggests.
Scientists say that all women over the age of 30 should now be given the new DNA test alongside conventional screening.
Researchers at the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam conducted a five-year study involving 45,000 women.
They concluded that the use of HPV tests was more effective than smear tests alone over two screening rounds set five years apart.
The findings are published in the Lancet Oncology medical journal and support the widespread use of HPV testing, which is currently only recommended in the UK for women whose smear tests have shown borderline or early pre-cancerous changes to cells in the cervix.
Professor Julietta Patnick, director of the NHS Cancer Screening Programmes, told the BBC that the NHS is beginning to incorporate HPV testing into its cytology-based programme.
'This study shows that HPV testing potentially offers greater benefits for women than cytology alone,' she added.