Self-tests recommended for women ages 30 to 65 to screen for cervical cancer

Women ages 30 and older can now use a swab to collect their own vaginal samples to screen for cervical cancer, according to new guidelines from a national health task force.

Draft recommendations announced Tuesday by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force would mean women between 30 and 65 years old can forego dreaded Pap smears to detect HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection that also causes nearly all cervical cancer cases. The draft recommendations also apply to people who were assigned female at birth, including transgender men and nonbinary people.

For Pap smears, health professionals collect samples from someone's cervix during a pelvic exam to look for cancerous or pre-cancerous cells, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The new self-collection method, done at the doctor’s office every five years, is intended to increase screening among women, particularly those who don't get screened regularly. In a news release, the task force, an independent, volunteer panel of health experts, said the new recommendation aims to avoid unnecessary follow-up tests and procedures.

“Women who would be more comfortable collecting their HPV test sample themselves can now do so,” Dr. Esa Davis, a task force member and a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said in a statement. “We hope that this new, effective option helps even more women get screened regularly.”

In May, the Food and Drug Administration approved HPV self-collection tests, but only in health care settings such as clinics, urgent care or pharmacies.

Around 11,500 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed each year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 4,000 Americans die annually from the cancer. 

Cases and deaths have dropped dramatically due to widespread screening, the task force said. However, low-income women have seen increases in cervical cancer rates, and women of color have higher incidence and deaths from the cancer.

The HPV vaccine has been effective at preventing infection, which often presents as genital warts and can result in cancer. The vaccine, administered in two doses beginning at age 9, can be used alongside screening to lower cervical cancer rates later in a person’s life.

The task force still recommends women ages 21 to 29 receive Pap test every three years, because they may not get complete protection from their vaccination.

As an alternative to an HPV test every 5 years, the task force recommends women ages 30 to 65 consider either a Pap test every 3 years or a combined HPV and Pap test every 5 years. 

Women younger than 21 years old aren’t recommended to get screening yet, nor are women older than 65 who have had regular screenings with normal results, and any women who have had a total hysterectomy, the task force said.

Recommendations are still being finalized by the task force. The comment period is open until Jan. 13.

(This story has been updated to clarify the recommendation for testing of women ages 30 to 65.)