Measure description
Percentage of women 21-64 years of age who were screened for cervical cancer using either of the following criteria:
- Women age 21-64 who had cervical cytology performed within the last 3 years
- Women age 30-64 who had cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) testing performed within the last 5 years
Rationale
All women are at risk for cervical cancer. In 2020, an estimated 13,800 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer in the U.S., resulting in an estimated 4,290 deaths (National Cancer Institute, 2020). Screening can identify precancerous lesions and can detect invasive cancer early, when treatment is more likely to be successful (American Cancer Society, 2020).
Clinical Recommendation Statements
US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) (2018) "The USPSTF recommends screening for cervical cancer every 3 years with cervical cytology alone in women aged 21 to 29 years. For women aged 30 to 65 years, the USPSTF recommends screening every 3 years with cervical cytology alone, every 5 years with high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) testing alone, or every 5 years with hrHPV testing in combination with cytology (cotesting). (A recommendation)"
"The USPSTF recommends against screening for cervical cancer in women older than 65 years who have had adequate prior screening and are not otherwise at high risk for cervical cancer. (D recommendation)"
"The USPSTF recommends against screening for cervical cancer in women younger than 21 years. (D recommendation)"
"The USPSTF recommends against screening for cervical cancer in women who have had a hysterectomy with removal of the cervix and do not have a history of a high-grade precancerous lesion (ie, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia [CIN] grade 2 or 3) or cervical cancer. (D recommendation)"