title: Increased cervical cancer risk associated with screening at longer intervals.
abstract: The 2012 national recommendations for cervical cancer screening will produce a lower level of cervical cancer protection than previously afforded by annual cytology or 3-year cotesting. After a single negative cotest result, the risk of cervical cancer is twice as large at 5 years as it is at 3 years. Modeling published since the 2012 guidelines were drafted indicates that extending the cotesting screening interval from 3 to 5 years at ages 30-64 years will result in an additional 1 woman in 369 compliant with screening receiving a cervical cancer diagnosis during her lifetime, and an additional 1 in 1,639 dying of cervical cancer. The authors believe that a significant number of patients and providers would not choose to accept these additional risks if they understood them, despite the recognition of potential harms associated with more intensive screening.
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's Health, the Permanente Medical Group, Sacramento, California; the Department of Pathology (emeritus) and the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York; the University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut; the University of California (retired), Santa Barbara, California; and the University of Alabama, Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kinney
authors.forename: Thomas C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Helen E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Dinkelspiel
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: DeFrancesco
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thomas Cox
authors.forename: Warner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huh
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000592:standards*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013997:Time Factors; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000175:diagnosis*