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CancerSmart Web Cast May 3, 2007 -- Drs. Carol Brown, Nadeem Abu-Rustum, and Paul Sabbatini present, "What You Should Know About the Screening and Treatment of Gynecologic Cancers."
Run time: 71 minutes. |
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Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center offers screening for cervical cancer at the Guttman Diagnostic Center and at the Breast Examination Center of Harlem.
Our Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines
First Screening
Our doctors recommend that women have their first cervical cancer screening about three years after their first sexual intercourse or by the age of 18 -- whichever comes first.
Women Up to Age 30
For women up to the age of 30 years old, our doctors recommend annual cervical cytology testing (which can include Pap smears or liquid-based cytology).
Women 30 Years and Older
For women 30 years old and older, our doctors recommend one of the following three screening options:
- Annual cervical cytology testing (which can include Pap smears or liquid-based cytology)
- Cytology testing every two to three years for women who have had three consecutive negative or satisfactory annual cytology tests
- Cytology plus HPV-DNA testing to screen for any of the 13 high-risk types of HPV associated with the development of cervical cancer. If both the cytology and the DNA tests are negative, screening should occur every three years.
Immunocompromised Women of Any Age
In addition, women of any age who are immunocompromised -- as the result of organ transplantation, HIV infection, or cancer chemotherapy -- and treated with steroids, or who were exposed in utero to an estrogen drug known as diethylstilbestrol (DES), should be screened annually with either Pap smear or liquid-based cytology. (From 1938 to 1971, DES was prescribed to some pregnant women to prevent miscarriage. The female children of these women have an increased risk of a rare cervical and vaginal cancer.)
Pap Test
The Pap test is an effective method of screening for cervical cancer. The results can show the presence of the common virus HPV, which causes 90 percent of cervical cancer. By avoiding contact with HPV infection, women can also reduce their likelihood of developing cervical cancer.
For more information about HPV, visit the Risk Factors & Prevention section.
