NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Researchers at the University of New Mexico say they found troubling trends among women who screen for cervical cancer. They studied statewide data evaluating cervical cancer screenings.
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They found women screened in 2019 with a normal prior test were pre-screened within three years, far more often than recommended. However, their research found after women were screened, they often don’t come back for more than five years.
According to a news release from UNM, the new recommendations for women aged 30 to 64 at average risk for cervical cancer called for co-testing for human papillomavirus (HPV) and liquid-based cytology – an updated version of the traditional Pap smear – every five years, or every three years for cytology alone.
For more information, visit hsc.unm.edu/news/2021/10/cervical-cancer-screening-overused-underused.