NEW YORK – The US Preventive Services Task Force on Tuesday released its draft recommendations for cervical cancer screening, updating its previous recommendations from 2018.
The organization recommends screening for cervical cancer every three years with cervical cytology alone in women ages 21 to 29, then every five years with clinician- or patient-collected high-risk human papillomavirus primary screening in women ages 30 to 65. As an alternative to HPV primary screening, the USPSTF recommends continued screening every three years with cervical cytology alone or screening every five years with high-risk HPV testing in combination with cytology.
The updated recommendations now include patient-collected samples for high-risk HPV screening. The organization noted that HPV primary screening every five years is the preferred screening strategy. The USPSTF noted that there is "adequate evidence" that self-collected HPV screening has similar accuracy to clinician-collected HPV screening.
The USPSTF recommends against screening for cervical cancer in women younger than 21 and women older than 65 who have had adequate prior screening and are not otherwise at high risk for cervical cancer. It also recommends against screening for women who have had a hysterectomy with removal of the cervix and do not have a history of a high-grade precancerous lesion.
Earlier this year, Roche and Becton Dickinson received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for use of their molecular HPV tests with patient-collected cervical samples.
The USPSTF draft recommendations are available for public comment until Jan. 13, 2025.