Smear tests ‘up to 10 years apart ARE safe – and should start later in life’
WOMEN may only need to have smear tests every five to 10 years, experts said today.
That's instead of every three years, suggested by current guidelines.
And, a new evidence suggests, some women could start the cervical cancer screenings later in life.
That's the conclusion of a new study, by scientists at Harvard University.
Less-intensive screening is needed among women who have been vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV), because the risk of these women developing cervical cancer is realtively low.
HPV is responsible for almost all cases of cervical cancer, the researchers noted.
We found that continuing intensive screening among HPV-vaccinated women yields excessive costs and harms with little to no health benefit
Professor Jane Kim
"This analysis enabled us to examine what would happen if we shifted from the current way we screen for cervical cancer - essentially, recommending the same type of screening for all women - to screening that takes into account whether women have been vaccinated against HPV and therefore face a substantially lower risk of cervical cancer," said Jane Kim, professor of health decision science.
"We found that continuing intensive screening among HPV-vaccinated women yields excessive costs and harms with little to no health benefit."
In the UK, women are invited for screening for cervical cancer every three years, from the age of 25 to 49, and up to every five years up to the age of 64.
In the US, women over the age of 21 undergo the test - which looks for abnormal cells of the cervix, that are likely to turn cancerous - every three years.
However, current screening guidelines do not differentiate between those women who have and haven't had the HPV vaccination.
The Harvard researchers developed a disease simulation model to estimate the risks and benefits of various screening protocols.
Their model looked at three different HPV vaccinations on offer in the US.
Those women at lowest risk of cervical cancer - those vaccinated with HPV-9, against seven types of HPV that cause 90 per cent of cancers - would only need screening four times in their lifetime.
That is, every 10 years from the age of 30 or 35.
Related Stories
Women who had an earlier version of the jab (HPV-2 and HPV-4), which target two types of HPV that cause roughly 70 per cent of cervical cancers, would need screening every five years starting at age 25 or 30.
The researchers also found HPV testing alone, rather than a smear test, could provide the same benefits.
That's because the HPV test is highly sensitive and can more effectively identify women who are likely to develop cervical cancer.
The researchers did note a limitation with their study - that they only looked at those women who had were up to date with their HPV jabs.
They said future studies should take into account actual vaccination uptake rates in the population, accounting for the fact not all women will have the recommended three jabs.
The findings are published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.