What do the proposed guidelines mean for women?

Getting screened for cervical cancer is becoming much more convenient An influential panel of experts is calling for new changes to current cervical cancer screening recommendations. changes that should result in many women in their 30s getting fewer Pap tests.

On Tuesday, the US Preventive Services Task Force released its draft guidelines For cervical cancer screening in the US, the most notable difference is that women between the ages of 30 and 65 only need to be tested for high-risk strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) every five years, rather than having a Pap smear every three years. The guidelines should make cervical cancer screening a less stressful experience for most American women.

The USPSTF is under the auspices of the US Department of Health and Human Services, but its members are volunteer outside experts brought in to review the evidence and provide recommendations on various topics related to preventive health care, including cancer screening by professionals and may even affect coverage for interventions such as vaccines.

Currently USPSTF advises that women between the ages of 20 and 29 begin to be screened for cervical cancer every three years with a cervical cytology (Pap smear). Currently, women between the ages of 30 and 65 are recommended to have a Pap test every three years or every five years A high-risk HPV test, or a combined Pap smear/HPV test every five years.

The USPTF’s recommendation for women in their 20s remains the same, but its experts now say women over 30 should generally opt for an HPV test only every five years.These tests work by checking vaginal samples for known types of HPV infection Women over 65 are generally not recommended for cervical cancer screening unless they have had regular screening and are not otherwise at high risk. women who have had a hysterectomy (where the cervix is ​​removed) without a history of cervical precancerous lesions;

The USPTF’s rationale for the change is simple. High-risk HPV infections are the primary cause of cervical cancer, and in women over 30, screening for these infections appears to be the most useful way to screen for cervical cancer. to detect cancer as early as possible, based on the evidence assessed by the USPTF.In addition, the USPTF has determined that self-administered HPV tests are as valid for screening as performed by a health care provider Two HPV tests were performed recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for self-recruitment this year.

“Recent science suggests that cervical cancer screening with HPV testing is the optimal approach for women between the ages of 30 and 65,” said Task Force Vice Chair John Wong, MD, a primary care physician in the Department of Medicine at Tufts Medical Center statement from the USPTF reporting the news.

The guidelines will still require women over the age of 30 to get a Pap test or a combination test if a standard HPV test is not available until next year’s finalization, although that rarely happens (as usual, the USPTF allows the public and outside experts to weigh in on its decision, with the comment period open until If these new guidelines are adopted as expected, they should make cervical cancer screening a less time-consuming and resource-intensive experience for many women in the United States.

The expansion of screening and the advent of vaccines that prevent most high-risk HPV infections have greatly reduced incidence of cervical cancer in the United States and around the world in recent decades, although it remains the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide.