Cervical Cancer (cont.)
Screening for cervical cancer
Screening to check for cervical changes before there are symptoms is very
important. Screening can help the doctor find abnormal cells before cancer
develops. Finding and treating abnormal cells can prevent most cervical
cancer. Also, screening can help find cancer early, when treatment is more
likely to be effective.
For the past several decades, the number of women diagnosed each year
with cervical cancer has been falling. Doctors believe this is mainly
because of the success of screening.
Doctors recommend that women help reduce their risk of cervical cancer by
having regular Pap tests. A Pap test (sometimes called Pap smear or cervical
smear) is a simple test used to look at cervical cells. For most women, the
test is not painful. A Pap test is done in a doctor's office or clinic
during a pelvic exam. The doctor or nurse scrapes a sample of cells from the
cervix, and then smears the cells on a glass slide. In a new type of Pap
test (liquid-based Pap test), the cells are rinsed into a small container of
liquid. A special machine puts the cells onto slides. For both types of Pap
test, a lab checks the cells on the slides under a microscope for
abnormalities.
Pap tests can find cervical cancer or abnormal cells that can lead to
cervical cancer. Doctors generally recommend that:
- Women should begin having Pap tests 3 years after
they begin having sexual intercourse, or when they reach age 21 (whichever
comes first).
- Most women should have a Pap test at least once every
3 years.
- Women aged 65 to 70 who have had at least three normal Pap tests and no
abnormal Pap tests in the past 10 years may decide, after speaking with
their doctor, to stop cervical cancer screening.
- Women who have had a hysterectomy
(surgery) to remove the uterus and cervix, also called a total hysterectomy,
do not need to have cervical cancer screening. However, if the surgery was
treatment for precancerous cells or cancer, the woman should continue with
screening.
Women should talk with their doctor about when they should begin having Pap
tests, how often to have them, and when they can stop having them. This is
especially important for women at higher-than-average risk of cervical
cancer.
Some activities can hide abnormal cells and affect Pap test results.
Doctors suggest the following tips:
- Do not douche for 48 hours
before the test.
- Do not have sexual intercourse for 48 hours before
the test.
- Do not use vaginal medicines
(except as directed by a doctor) or birth control foams, creams, or
jellies for 48 hours before the test.
Doctors also suggest that a woman
schedule her Pap test for a time that is 10 to 20 days after the first
day of her menstrual period.
Most often, abnormal cells found by a Pap test are not cancerous.
However, some abnormal conditions may become cancer over time:
- LSIL (low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion):
LSILs are mild cell changes on the surface of the cervix. Such changes often
are caused by HPV infections. LSILs are common, especially in young women.
LSILs are not cancer. Even without treatment, most LSILs stay the same or go
away. However, some turn into high-grade lesions, which may lead to cancer.
- HSIL
(high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion): HSILs are not cancer, but
without treatment they may lead to cancer. The precancerous cells are only
on the surface of the cervix. They look very different from normal cells.
You may want to ask the doctor the following questions about
screening:
- How soon after the test will I learn the
results?
- Do you recommend that I get tested for HPV?
- How much do the tests cost? Will my
health insurance help pay for screening tests?
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