"A Guide To Cervical Cancer Screenings At Every Age" - Jillian Mock
Across the United States, women will be screened for cervical cancer every few years for most of their lives. These appointments and tests, unpleasant an experience as they may be, are critically important. Close to 13,000 women develop cervical cancer and 4,000 die from it each year in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. But that number used to be much higher. The number of women dying from the disease nationwide has dropped 50 percent in 40 years thanks to widespread screening. “In the twenties, the risk of cervical cancer is very small. Basically, we don’t recommend any screening less than the age of 21,” said Valentin Kolev, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The current best practice is co-testing: getting both a Pap test and a high-risk HPV test every five years, as stated by different guidelines.
- Valentin Kolev, MD, Assistant Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai