Screening Program

Screening for Cancer of the Cervix: An Office Manual for Health Professionals

Cytology requisition form and cytology supply order form

The following recommendations have been approved for women who are or have been sexually active:

After three negative Pap smears (reported satisfactory for evaluation) at one-year intervals, screening should be continued every 24 months, until age 69.

1. If women have had three normal Pap smears in the previous ten years, screening may be discontinued after the age of 69.
2. Women with a cytologic abnormality should continue to be screened according to laboratory recommendations.
3. A follow-up program has been established to notify the patient's physician if a smear has not been received by the cytology service within two years of the last negative smear. The follow-up program has an additional benefit for older women, in whom the majority of invasive cancers are seen, since many of these women are currently not having regular Pap smears and, in some instances, have dropped out of the program altogether.

 Also see Endometrium - Screening