AmeriHealth is working to reduce the incidence and mortality rates of cervical
cancer by promoting regular cervical cancer screenings. Through our Cervical
Cancer Screening Program, reminders are sent to our female members to encourage
them to schedule their regular Pap tests and Humanpapillomavirus (HPV) tests,
as appropriate. We encourage you to discuss screening recommendations,
lifestyle risk factors, prevention, early detection, and treatment options with
your patients.
According to the American Cancer Society, incidence of cervical cancer and
associated mortality rates have decreased significantly in the past decades,
with most of the reduction attributed to widespread use of Pap
tests.
1 The reduction in mortality through screening is due to:
an increase in the detection of invasive cancer at early stages, when the
five-year survival rate is approximately 92 percent;
2
the detection and treatment of pre-invasive lesions, which reduces the overall
incidence of invasive cancer.
Since the introduction of cervical cytology in the United States in the middle
of the 20th century, cervical cancer, once the most frequent causes of cancer
death in women, now ranks 14th for cancer deaths.
3 The new screening
guidelines from the American Cancer Society, American College of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, and other nationally recognized medical organizations address
appropriate ages for screening, medical conditions that affect screening, such
as hysterectomy, appropriate screening intervals, and additional screening
technologies, such as HPV with DNA co-testing.
The following are the screening recommendations:
Ages 21?29: Cytology alone is recommended every three years. HPV testing is not
recommended for screening in this age group.
Ages 30?65: HPV with cytology every five years is the preferred method for
screening; cytology alone every three years is an acceptable alternative.
Recommendations state that women should have three consecutive negative Pap
tests before expanding to screening every five years.
Ages 65 and older: No further screening with adequate screening history is
recommended.
HPV-vaccinated women: Follow the same age-specific recommendations as for
unvaccinated women.
4 Additional screening recommendations are listed
for women who have had a diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2
or CIN3) with or without hysterectomy, or who have a higher risk for cervical
cancer (immunocompromised, family history, HPV or chlamydia infections,
exposure to DES [Diethylstilbestrol]). For more information on screening and
risk factors, visit the
American Cancer
Society website.
References