Unnecessary Pap tests given to U.S. women with hysterectomy

Many women who've had total hysterectomies are still getting screened for cervical cancer, a U.S. report into Pap testing finds.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's survey suggested that about 60 per cent of women with hysterectomies recently had a Pap test.

A Pap test is used to check for precancerous abnormalities of the cervix. (Joshua Lott/Reuters)

"Pap test use among women who have had a hysterectomy has declined by 15 percentage points from 2000 to 2010," Dr. Meg Watson, an epidemiologist with CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control and her co-authors wrote.

"However 60 per cent of women who have had a hysterectomy still report recent Pap testing, indicating unnecessary screening in a majority of this population."

In 2012, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and American Cancer Society recommended that cervical cancer screening isn't needed for most women who've had a total hysterectomy — removal of the uterus and uterine cervix — for non-cancerous reasons, the CDC said.

About 90 per cent of hysterectomies are done for benign reasons, the authors noted, adding only a small proportion of women need continued screening after a hysterectomy.

Overall, screening has become more consistent with the expert guidelines.

But the percentage of women aged 22 to 30 who had not been screened increased from 6.5 per cent in 2000 to 9.0 per cent in 2010.

"More effort is needed to promote acceptance of the latest evidence-based recommendations so that all women receive the maximal benefits of cervical cancer screening," CDC officer Keisha Houston and her co-authors wrote in a second article in the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

"Public health initiatives to increase screening among these women should continue."

Health authorities aim to maximize the benefits of screening to save lives while minimizing harms. Previous research suggests frequent testing and overtreatment of women can lead to harm associated with the procedure. Overscreening can weaken the cervix and lead to adverse birth outcomes.

Cervical cancer is a slow-growing cancer caused by strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV). The sexually transmitted infection causes precancerous abnormalities of the cervix.

Women were telephoned to collect the data, which was not confirmed by checking medical records.

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