Women Cancer Screening
Cancer screening tests are designed to find cancer or pre-cancerous areas before there are any symptoms and, generally, when treatments are most successful. (Learn more about screening tests) Various organizations have developed guidelines for cancer screening for women. While these guidelines vary slightly between different organizations, they cover the same basic screening tests for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers, and are recommended to begin as early as the late teens.
Cervical Cancer Screening
- All women should begin cervical cancer screening at age 25.
- Women between the ages of 25 and 65 should have:
- Primary HPV testing every 5 years. This test is not yet available at many centers/practices.
- If this test is not available, you should be screened with co-testing, which is a combination of an HPV and Pap test. This should be done every 5 years.
- If HPV testing is not available, then a Pap test alone should be performed every three years.
- Women over age 65 who have had regular cervical screenings that were normal should not be screened for cervical cancer.
- Women who have been diagnosed with cervical pre-cancer should continue to be screened until they meet one of the following criteria over the previous 10 years:
- Two negative, consecutive HPV tests.
- Or 2 negative, consecutive co-tests.
- Or 3 negative, consecutive pap tests in the last 3-5 years.
