CHICAGO -- Two recent studies call for faster, more aggressive treatment of cervical cancer in low-income American women and women in developing countries.

Dr. Wendy Brewster, a University of California-Irvine researcher and the co-author of one of the studies in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, said acting quickly might mean some women will get unnecessary treatment, but the trade-off could mean more lives saved.

In the California study, more than 3,500 women were given Pap smears. Some stayed at the clinic to await results. If positive for precancerous lesions, the women had a procedure that day. In the other group, women with abnormal tests were referred for later care, which is the usual process.

Brewster said the women in the single-visit group were significantly more likely to have completed their care than those in the other group.

The women in the single-visit group spent an average of 2.8 hours at the clinic, and women given the usual care spent about an hour and 15 minutes at the clinic.

"In this era, when effective treatment of precancerous lesions is available, it is not acceptable for any woman to develop this disease," the researchers wrote.

• JAMA: More Study Details