Friday, February 8, 2013
Many women who don't need Pap tests are still getting them
My regular readers know that I frequently bemoan the fact that we have no effective way to test for most cancers, and that in many cancers early diagnosis does not improve survival. Cervical cancer is one of the few exceptions. Since Georgios Papanikolau developed the test named after him, the Pap test has dramatically reduced the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer.
More recent advances have shown that cervical cancer is caused by human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection. Specific testing for HPV is now frequently performed in addition to the Pap test, and a vaccine against the most dangerous strains of HPV is likely to further decrease cervical cancer incidence.
We also now understand that the changes that HPV cause are detectable years before cervical cancer occurs, so the interval between tests can be quite long. Current recommendations are for all women between the ages of 21 and 65 to have a Pap test every three years. If HPV testing is also used, women over 30 can be safely tested every 5 years.
Women over 65 who have been previously tested and have had normal test results are unlikely to benefit from further testing. Also women who have had a total hysterectomy (surgery in which both the uterus and cervix are removed) do not need further Pap tests, because they don't have a cervix. (An important exception is women who have had a hysterectomy because of cervical cancer or pre-cancerous changes.)
This week brings us evidence of too much of a good thing. The current issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) published a survey of women over 65 and women who have had hysterectomies. It asked them if they had a recent Pap test. Two thirds of women over 65 answered affirmatively as did 59% of women who have had hysterectomies. I found that as surprising as if 59% of bald men were still going to their barber regularly.
It's hard to know what's behind this behavior. These women can't benefit from the tests they're undergoing. Perhaps this is a manifestation of long-established habits for both the doctors and the patients. Another possible explanation is that some of the women surveyed are simply wrong. The study didn't actually check medical records, and some of the women may have thought that they had been tested when they hadn't.
Obviously, the most pernicious possibility is that many doctors are still recommending useless testing to patients who trust them. (If Medicare paid for haircuts one wonders how many bald men would still go to their barbers, just for the attention and social interaction, and how many barbers would sent reminder postcards to their bald patients.)
So if you're between 30 and 65 and are having both Pap tests and HPV testing and your results have been normal, give yourself 5 years between tests. And if you're over 65 and your tests have been normal, or you no longer have a cervix, congratulate yourself for permanently escaping cervical cancer and feel free to forego further testing.
Learn more:
Pap Tests For Cervical Cancer Are Often Wasted (Shots, NPR health news)
CDC: Women with hysterectomies getting unneeded Paps (USA Today)
Cervical Cancer Screening Among Women by Hysterectomy Status and Among Women Aged ≥65 Years--United States, 2000–2010 (MMWR)
Announcement: Cervical Cancer Awareness Month--January 2013 (MMWR)
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations for cervical cancer screening
My post in 2009 summarizing the recommendations for Pap tests: Should You Have a Pap Smear?
Albert Fuchs, MD, FACP, graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, where he also did his internal medicine training. Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Dr. Fuchs spent three years as a full-time faculty member at UCLA School of Medicine before opening his private practice in Beverly Hills in 2000. Holding privileges at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, he is also an assistant clinical professor at UCLA's Department of Medicine. This post originally appeared at his blog.
Labels: Albert Fuchs, guest post, less is more, women's health
posted by Albert Fuchs, MD at
7:00 AM
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Members of the American College of Physicians contribute posts from their own sites to ACP Internistand ACP Hospitalist. Contributors include:
Albert Fuchs,
MD
Albert Fuchs, MD, FACP, graduated from the
University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, where he
also did his internal medicine training. Certified by the American
Board of Internal Medicine, Dr. Fuchs spent three years as a
full-time faculty member at UCLA School of Medicine before opening
his private practice in Beverly Hills in 2000.
And Thus, It Begins
Amanda Xi, ACP Medical
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of Medicine, charter class of 2015, in Rochester, Mich., from which
she which chronicles her journey through medical training from day
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Zackary Berger, MD, ACP Member, is a primary care doctor and
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Controversies in Hospital
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Run by three ACP
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DrDialogue
Juliet K. Mavromatis, MD, FACP, provides a conversation about
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Matthew Mintz, MD, FACP, has practiced internal medicine for more
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Toni Brayer, MD, FACP, blogs about the rapid changes in science,
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Ryan Madanick, MD, ACP Member, is a gastroenterologist at the
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MD
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Alexander M.
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Paul Sufka,
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Peter A. Lipson,
MD
Peter A. Lipson, MD, ACP Member, is a practicing internist and
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Janice
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American Journal of
Medicine
Also known as the Green Journal, the American Journal of Medicine
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Interact MD
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The Public Library of Science's open access materials include a
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White Coat
Rants
One of the most popular anonymous blogs written by an emergency
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