The American Cancer Society (ACS) recently released updated guideline recommendations for cervical cancer screening. Please see the highlights below!
Rationale:
- Persistent high-risk HPV infections, predominantly HPV16 and HPV18, are responsible for nearly all cervical cancers.
- The goal of cervical cancer screening is to detect and treat precancerous lesions and early stage invasive cancer.
- A growing portion of the population is vaccinated for HPV and cytology-based screening is less efficient in this population.
- Women <25 years have a low incidence of cervical cancer and high incidence of transient HPV infections.
Key Definitions:
- Primary HPV test: HPV testing designated for HPV testing alone. There are currently two FDA approved tests for stand-alone HPV testing.
- Cotest: Combines cytology (i.e. Pap smear) and HPV testing.
Recommendations:
Table adapted from Fontham ETH, Wolf AMD, Church TR, Etzioni R, Flowers CR, Herzig A, Guerra CE, Oeffinger KC, Shih YT, Walter LC, Kim JJ, Andrews KS, DeSantis CE, Fedewa SA, Manassaram-Baptiste D, Saslow D, Wender RC, Smith RA. Cervical cancer screening for individuals at average risk: 2020 guideline update from the American Cancer Society. CA Cancer J Clin. 2020 Sep;70(5):321-346. doi: 10.3322/caac.21628. Epub 2020 Jul 30. PMID: 32729638.
Articles: Updated ACS Guidelines