New draft recommendations for cervical cancer screening: 5 details

Routine cervical cancer screening typically requires patients to receive Pap smears every three years. On Dec. 10, a national task force put forth a new screening recommendation for women 30 and older: HPV testing every five years with the option to self-collect their sample.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is an independent panel of experts that develops recommendations for preventive services, which influence coverage and reimbursement from insurers. On Dec. 10, the group published new draft guidance on cervical cancer screening, which will be available for public comment through Jan. 13.

Five details: 

1. Based on the latest evidence, testing for high-risk human papillomaviruses every five years is the "optimal" cervical cancer screening approach for women ages 30-65, according to the draft recommendation. Continuing with Pap smears every three years or combining Pap smears and HPV tests every five years are alternative options, though the task force recommends HPV testing every five years through age 65 — when most women can stop screening — as the primary method. 
   
   
2. The updated guidance reflects new evidence that shows HPV testing every five years among women ages 30-65 offers the best balance of benefits and harms, "meaning it helps detect the early stages of cervical cancer with fewer harm, like unnecessary follow up tests and procedures."
   
   
3. Women in their 20s should continue to be screened with Pap testing every three years, a recommendation that remains unchanged from the task force's last update to cervical cancer screening guidance in 2018.
   
   
4. For the first time, the draft guidance states women may self-collect vaginal samples for HPV testing at their clinician's office — a move experts anticipate will improve screening rates.
   
   "Women who would be more comfortable collecting their HPV test sample themselves can now do so," Esa Davis, MD, a member of the task force and associate vice president for community health at University of Maryland, Baltimore, said in a news release. "We hope that this new, effective option helps even more women get screened regularly."
   
   
5. The majority of cervical cancer cases are caused by HPV. In many cases, HPV clears on its own, but it can cause health complications, including cancer, if it persists. It is considered one of the most preventable and treatable cancers.