Task force supports less frequent screening for some women.

2003 FEB 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has strongly recommended that women between the ages of 21 and 65 be screened regularly for cervical cancer, but it concluded that some women can safely discontinue regular screening or can be screened less frequently.

For women age 65 and over who have had regular normal Pap smears, the Task Force concluded that the harms of continued routine screening such as false-positive tests and invasive procedures may outweigh the benefits. For younger women who have had at least two normal annual screenings, the Task Force found no evidence that annual screening achieves better outcomes than screening every 3 years. Pap testing followed by appropriate treatment can effectively prevent invasive cervical cancer by detecting precancerous lesions before they grow and spread.

The Task Force, the leading independent panel of private-sector experts in prevention and primary care, is sponsored by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In its statement released on the AHRQ web site, the Task Force considered a woman's age, her medical history, and the screening method used. These recommendations are largely consistent with the recommendations of the American Cancer Society and related organizations. Specifically, the Task Force:

* Strongly recommends starting to screen women 3 years after they begin sexual activity, or at the age of 21, whichever comes first. (This is a change from the previous Task Force recommendation that stated screening should begin at age 18.) The Task Force concluded that screening should be performed at least every 3 years, but it noted that annual screening is appropriate until a woman has had at least two to three consecutive normal Pap test results.

* Recommends against screening women 65 and older who have had adequate recent screenings with normal Pap smears and are not otherwise at increased risk for cervical cancer.

* Recommends against screening women who have had a total hysterectomy for a noncancerous condition.

* Concludes that the evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against using new technologies, such as liquid-based cytology, instead of conventional Pap smears to screen for cervical cancer. The evidence available for newer screening technologies does suggest that these methods are slightly more sensitive, but they may also be more likely to give false-positive results. It is not clear whether the possible benefits, if any, would be large enough to justify the added costs.