Screening for Cervical Cancer

Release Date: January 2003

Summary of Recommendations / Supporting Documents

Summary of Recommendations

• The USPSTF strongly recommends screening for cervical cancer in women who have been sexually active and have a cervix.
  Grade: A Recommendation.
• The USPSTF recommends against routinely screening women older than age 65 for cervical cancer if they have had adequate recent screening with normal Pap smears and are not otherwise at high risk for cervical cancer (go to Clinical Considerations).
  Grade: D Recommendation.
• The USPSTF recommends against routine Pap smear screening in women who have had a total hysterectomy for benign disease.
  Grade: D Recommendation.
• The USPSTF concludes that the evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against the routine use of new technologies to screen for cervical cancer.
  Grade: I Statement.
• The USPSTF concludes that the evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against the routine use of human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as a primary screening test for cervical cancer.
  Grade: I recommendation.

Top of Page

Supporting Documents

Screening for Cervical Cancer, January 2003
Recommendations and Rationale (PDF File, 89 KB; PDF Help)
Systematic Evidence Review (PDF File, 2.65 MB; PDF Help)
What's New (PDF File, 7 KB; PDF Help)

Top of Page

Current as of January 2003

Internet Citation:

Screening for Cervical Cancer, Topic Page. January 2003. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstf/uspscerv.htm