BEDFORD, Mass., May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Hologic, Inc.

Unsatisfactory Pap tests occur in 1.1% or less of all tests performed.

Prevention is better than cure; however, when it comes to screening for cancer new research shows that U.S. health services are not as cost-effective as international, and publically run, counterparts.

Women ages 21 to 65 should have a Pap smear every three years, according to new guidelines from the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).

The American Cancer Society (ACS), the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP), and the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) have released new guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer.