Cervical screening

Cervical screening involves a clinician taking samples of cells from the cervix.
Cervical screening assesses cellular abnormalities within the cervix, and/or looking for viral DNA.

Cervical cancer screening is a medical screening test designed to identify risk of cervical cancer. Cervical screening may involve looking for viral DNA, and/or to identify abnormal, potentially precancerous cells within the cervix as well as cells that have progressed to early stages of cervical cancer.[1][2] One goal of cervical screening is to allow for intervention and treatment so abnormal lesions can be removed prior to progression to cancer. An additional goal is to decrease mortality from cervical cancer by identifying cancerous lesions in their early stages and providing treatment prior to progression to more invasive disease.[1]

Currently available screening tests fall into three categories: molecular, cytologic and visual inspection. Molecular screening tests includes nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT), which identify high risk human-papilomma virus (HPV) strains. Cytologic tests include conventional Pap smear and liquid based cytology. Visual Inspection tests involve application of a solution to enhance identification of abnormal areas and can utilize the naked eye or a colposcope/magnifying camera.[3]

Medical organizations of different countries have unique guidelines and screening recommendations. The World Health Organization has also published guidelines to increase screening and improve outcomes for all women taking into consideration differences in resource availability of regions. Management of abnormal screening results can include surveillance, biopsy, or removal of the suspicious region via surgical intervention. Diagnosis of more advanced cancer stages may require other treatment options such as chemotherapy or radiation.[2]

  1. ^ a b Singer, Albert; Khan, Ashfaq (2018). "Cervical cancer screening: An exemplar of a population screening programme, and cervical cancer prevention". In Eeles, Rosalind A.; Berg, Christine D.; Tobias, Jeffrey S. (eds.). Cancer Prevention and Screening (1st ed.). Wiley. pp. 81–100. ISBN 978-1-118-99087-2.
  2. ^ a b WHO guideline for screening and treatment of cervical pre-cancer lesions for cervical cancer prevention (2nd ed.). Geneva: World Health Organization. 2021. ISBN 978-92-4-003082-4.
  3. ^ WHO guideline for screening and treatment of cervical pre-cancer lesions for cervical cancer prevention. Geneva: World Health Organization. 2021. ISBN 978-92-4-003082-4. OCLC 1284293937.