By Vicki Hawthorne, Sky News Correspondent
Screening for a virus provides up to 70% better protection against cervical cancer than conventional smear tests, a study has found.
Traditional tests involve examining cells under a microscope to detect changes that may indicate cancer.
The new approach includes an initial test for human papilloma virus (HPV), which can trigger the disease.
Researchers analysed data from four trials in England, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden, using 175,000 women aged 20-64.
Cervical cancer is the third most common gynaecological cancer in the UK The four trials lasted an average of six-and-a-half years each.
Invasive cancer rates were similar for both groups during the first two-and-a-half years after the trials began.
But after that, fewer cancers were detected in women who had undergone HPV screening
Dr Guglielmo Ronco, from the Centre for Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention, in Turin, Italy, said: "Until now, there have been no direct estimates of the relative efficacy of HPV-based versus cell-based screening for prevention of invasive cancer in women who undergo regular screening.
"Our analysis shows that HPV-based screening appears to prevent more invasive cervical cancers than does cell-screening.
Sharon Montgomery has battled cervical cancer three times in recent years "On this basis, we recommend implementation of HPV-based cervical screening with triage from age 30 years at intervals of at least five years."
This means women discovered to be HPV-positive could be specially selected for a follow-up conventional smear test and referred for cervical examination.
Sharon Montgomery, 35, has battled cervical cancer three times in the last three years.
When she was diagnosed in 2010 she did not recognise the symptoms and admits she was completely unaware of the disease.
"I found out through a sore back," she said.
"I went to casualty. The consultant asked me several questions, and alarm bells had been ringing, and she sent me for a smear, which I hadn't had in five years."
While Sharon welcomes the latest research from Italy, she is also cautious.
She is concerned that women will get the wrong impression from it.
"When I was diagnosed I set up my own support page on Facebook and a lot of women have come on and said that they have had the HPV test and it has come back negative," she said.
"Then they have been advised not to get a smear because of this. Six months, a year down the line, it has turned out that they have cervical cancer."
For Sharon the focus should be on raising awareness of cervical cancer and making sure women take a test when it is offered to them.
She is spending her time in recovery setting up her own charity, Cervical Cancer Northern Ireland, to help and support women like her.
Professor Julietta Patnick, director of NHS Cancer Screening Programmes, said: "These new results are incredibly exciting.
"The relationship between human papilloma virus and cervical cancer has long been established, with the virus being found in over 99% of cervical cancer cases.
"The new study suggests that by using HPV for primary screening, we could protect 60-70% more women from cervical cancer than the current method.
"It also finds that by testing for HPV first we could test all women every five years. At the moment we test women aged 25-49 every three years."
HPV primary screening was already being piloted at six English centres in Bristol, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Norwich and Sheffield, she said.
This year, the laboratories will screen around 150,000 women for HPV.
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