Most deaths from
cancer of the cervix (the lower part of the uterus, or womb) can be avoided by having regular checkups and
Pap smears. This cancer can take several years to develop. Most often, cancerous cells are seen in women 40 years of age or older. Getting routinely screened can help you identify cervical cancer when it is highly curable. Screening even finds precancerous lesions that can be monitored or removed before cancer ever starts to develop.
The American Cancer Society, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommend the following for young women:
- Begin getting Pap smears about 3 years after your first vaginal intercourse, but no later than 21 years of age. Then, get tested each year until age 30.
Pap smears are available from family planning clinics and public health departments as well as from health care providers (including pediatricians, family physicians, obstetrician-gynecologists, and nurse practitioners).
What’s right at your age
Guidelines on cervical cancer screening lengthen the interval between tests for many women once they have had 2 or 3 normal Pap smears in a row. Younger women are monitored closely for high-risk types of disease, middle-aged women are more likely to be told to get retested in 2 to 3 years instead of each year, and many older women can stop cervical cancer screening altogether. If you have had a hysterectomy, discuss with your health care provider whether continued screening is of value. In some cases, it is.
An HPV test may be a helpful addition to the Pap test for general screening of women 30 years of age and older and for those whose Pap test shows slightly abnormal cell changes.
Even if you do not need a Pap test each year, for most women, an annual gynecologic and pelvic exam is still recommended, reminds the ACOG.
Links
To sign up for a personal Pap test scheduling reminder,
click here.
Sources
American Cancer Society. DES Exposure: Questions and Answers. Available online at http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6x_DES_Exposure_Questions_and_Answers.asp through http://www.cancer.org. Accessed September 2008.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Cervical cancer screening: testing can start later and occur less often under new ACOG recommendations (press release). 31 Jul 2003. Available on the Internet at http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr07-31-03-1.cfm through http://www.acog.org. Accessed 15 Jul 2004 and 18 Jan 2008.
American College of Physicians. New pap guidelines reduce screening, but raise concerns about compliance. Apr 2003. Observer. Available on the Internet at http://www.acponline.org/journals/news/apr03/pap_guides.htm?hp through http://www.acponline.org. Accessed 15 Jul 2004 and 18 Jan 2008.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Human papillomaviruses and cancer: questions and answers. 8 Jun 2006. Available on the Internet through http://www.medem.com. Accessed 18 Jan 2008.
American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology. What women should know about HPV and cervical health. 2003. Available on the Internet at http://www.asccp.org/patient_edu.shtml through http://www.asccp.org. Accessed 17 Jan 2008.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Basic facts on screening and the Pap test. Oct 2003. PDF available for download at http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/cervical/pdf/cc_basic.pdf through http://www.cdc.gov. Accessed 2 Aug 2004 and 18 Jan 2008.
US Food and Drug Administration. Cervical Cancer Screening. FDA Consumer Magazine. January-February 2004. Available online at http://www.fda.gov/Fdac/features/2004/104_cancer.html through http://www.fda.gov. Accessed September 2008.
