Cervical Cancer Risk Doubles with Longer Screening Intervals
With HPV screening we should do better.
ACOG NEWS RELEASEFor Release: January 1, 2003
Cervical Cancer Risk Doubles with Longer Screening Intervals
WASHINGTON, DC — A rigorous case-control study in the January issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology finds that a woman’s relative risk of invasive cervical cancer doubles if she is screened at 2- or 3-year intervals after her last negative (normal) cervical smear, rather than at 1 year intervals. Although a woman’s absolute risk for getting cervical cancer remains low, the researchers note this finding is important for policy makers when considering the costs and impact of a decrease in screening frequency.
Researchers specifically addressed the question of whether, and to what extent, instituting a 2- or 3-year screening interval in a population previously offered annual cervical screens increased the risk of cervical cancer. They looked at 1,466 women in the Kaiser Permanente health maintenance organization in northern California: 482 women with invasive squamous cell cervical cancer, and 984 controls matched by age, length of HMO membership, and race/ethnicity.
Study authors found that while there was no significant difference between a 2-year or a 3-year screening interval, the relative risk of invasive squamous cell cervical cancer with screening at 2 or 3 years was double that at 1 year intervals. They suggest that policy decisions on screening intervals should be based on additional precisely-quantified study results, particularly as new screening technologies are incorporated into routine screening.
Contact: Marie Grisham Miller, PhD, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, Oakland, CA, at mariegmiller@saber.net.
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Studies published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, the peer-reviewed scientific journal of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), do not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of ACOG. ACOG is the national medical organization representing over 40,000 physicians who provide health care for women.
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