The Carolina Women’s Care Study was implemented by researchers at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in the Fall of 2004.  We recruit freshmen females from USC and Claflin University and follow them at six month intervals for the duration of their college enrollment.  The main goal of the study is to improve triage of female patients with abnormal Pap smears.  Abnormal Pap smears often result from infection by the human papillomavirus (HPV).  Most women will come in contact with HPV at some point during their lifetime, often at the onset of sexual activity.  Most women will clear HPV without treatment; however some may develop precancerous lesions of the cervix that may lead to cervical cancer.

            Current standards in the medical community require treatment of all patients with severe cervical abnormalities.  The procedure is painful, costly, and may lead to infertility later in life.  Studies show that treatment may not be necessary in many cases however we currently have no accepted means of determining which patients require treatment.  This practice results in treatment of all patients with cervical abnormalities.  Through the efforts of our study, we hope to identify novel biomarkers which will distinguish patients who need treatment from those that do not.