Cervical cancer used to be the top cause of cancer death for women in the United States. It now consistently ranks much lower, thanks in large part to the safe and highly effective HPV vaccine as well as increases in routine cervical cancer screenings.
How often you go for your cervical cancer screening will depend on your age and other risk factors. For the most part, people with cervixes who are between ages 30 and 65 should get a Pap test and/or HPV test every three to five years. Which test(s) you should have will depend on your risk for cervical cancer and the results of previous cervical cancer tests.
What is cervical cancer screening?
Cervical cancer screening means checking for cervical cancer before you have any symptoms. If you start to develop cancer, getting screened on a regular basis can help catch it early when treatments tend to work best.
There are two types of tests that can tip off your healthcare provider (HCP) to cervical cancer. These are the Pap test and the HPV test. The Pap test involves collecting a small sample of cervical cells, often during your routine gynecology exam, to look for cell changes that could mean cancer is developing. The HPV test involves checking that same sample for the top 13 to 14 types of HPV, a common virus known as human papillomavirus that can lead to cervical cancer.
Many people in your age group should have a Pap test and an HPV test every 5 years. Some people will only need to get the HPV test or the Pap test alone. Just know that if you go for the Pap test only, you’ll have to get it done every three years instead of every five.
Which test you get, and how often you get it, will depend on your health history and the results of any previous cervical tests. You’re able to wait a few years between tests because cervical cancer tends to grow slowly, and it can take about three to seven years for abnormal cells to become cancer.
Are there any risks to screening?
All screening tests have risks and benefits and it’s important to understand them both. Cervical cancer screening is no exception. Check in with your HCP before making a decision about how often to get tested. The key is to weigh the risks that come from screening against the risk of potentially developing cervical cancer.
Possible downsides to cervical cancer screening include:
Unnecessary testing: If your screening shows you have abnormal cells that could become cancer, you’ll need to go for more testing or treatments. These can be expensive, time-consuming and uncomfortable—and it’s very common for abnormal cells and/or HPV to go away on their own, especially in younger women.
False negatives: Sometimes a screening test can come back negative, suggesting you don’t have cancer, when in fact you really do. A false negative result can delay care when you need it, which can allow cancer to grow and potentially spread.
False positives: A screening test can also turn up positive, suggesting you have cancer, when in fact you really don’t. This can cause you to go for tests and treatments that you don’t need.
Despite the possible downsides, the benefits of screening far outweigh the risks for most people. Regular screening has been shown to detect cancers early and save lives.
What if I’ve had the HPV vaccine?
The HPV vaccine offers protection against HPV and the several cancers it can cause. People often wonder if they still need to go for routine cancer screenings after they’ve been vaccinated for HPV. The answer is yes. You still need to have routine screenings.
“HPV is a virus that has many different strains,” says Jessica Wells, PhD, RN, assistant professor at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, specializing in women’s health and cancer prevention. “There are actually hundreds of different strains. The Gardasil 9 vaccine [the leading HPV vaccine] protects you against the nine most common strains seen globally, including the seven that are commonly associated with cervical cancer and two associated with genital warts.”
That means that while the HPV vaccine can lower your odds of developing several cancers, it can’t protect you against all of them. What’s more, not every cervical cancer is caused by HPV, so you still have to watch for the other types through routine screening.
Rose Hayes, MA, RN, is a registered nurse specializing in patient education and nursing innovation. She is Director of Engagement at Emory School of Nursing.
