Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that about 115,000 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year, and about 4,000 women die of this cancer. As a former practicing obstetrician/gynecologist, I always want to raise awareness of the importance of screening for early detection.
Screening tests check for cancerous cells and abnormal cells that could become cancerous. The screenings are done before someone exhibits any symptoms through a pap test performed by your primary care doctor, obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN) or another healthcare clinician.
For women aged 21 to 29, the recommendation is to get a pap test every three years. Another important screening test for cervical cancer is the HPV test, which looks for the human papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause abnormal cell changes. If a woman is 30 years old or older, she can consider pap testing every five years if combined with testing for HPV. After age 65, a pap test may no longer be needed if there have been no signs of cervical precancer in the past, or if there has been a normal screening test for several years, or if the cervix has been removed as part of a total hysterectomy for non-cancerous conditions, like fibroids.