Regular Cervical Cancer screen should start after 25

Canadian women should start being routinely screened for cervical cancer at a later age than previously recommended and do it less frequently than has been the norm until now, new national guidelines recommend. The guidance suggests cervical cancer screening should begin at age 25 and continue until age 69, at three year intervals. For years, women were advised to get an annual Pap smear, though in recent years a number of countries have lengthened the intervals between tests. Dr. Eduardo Franco, a cervical cancer expert at McGill University in Montreal, was involved in developing U.S. screening guidelines that were updated last year. Those guidelines recommended screening for women between the ages of 21 and 65. Franco said he feels that women who have had negative tests can safely stop cervical cancer screening at age 65. He was pleased, however, that the Canadian guidelines moved to a testing interval of three years, calling it welcome news.

Read more at Winnipeg Free Press, Vancouver Sun