Health & Fit Middle-age women can choose Pap smear or HPV test for cancer screening

© Deborah Jaffe/Photolibrary/Getty Images (Reuters Health) - Middle-aged women can choose which test to undergo for cervical cancer screening, according to a draft recommendation from an influential group backed by the U.S. government.

Women ages 30 to 65 can choose to receive a Pap test every three years or a human papillomavirus (HPV) test every five years, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The group did not previously recommend HPV testing without a Pap test.

"Women and providers should continue to recognize that cervical cancer is a serious disease that can be prevented," said Dr. Maureen Phipps, a member of the USPTF.

Adult colorectal cancer risk tied to weight as a teen

<p>Being overweight or obese as a teenager may increase a person’s risk of developing colorectal cancer as an adult, according to a large study.</p>Long-term follow-up of 1.79 million Israeli men and women examined for military service as teenagers showed that overweight and obese teens were over 50 percent more likely to develop colon or rectal cancer by middle age, compared to normal-weight peers.

Conclusion: Cervical cancer screening with Pap smear and HPV testing reached 100 percent sensitivity; however, the improvement in sensitivity compared with HPV testing alone is marginal.

Some women can be screened less frequently. Women should discuss their individual risk factors with their doctor or PA. The traditional screening test is called a Pap smear . However, other methods, including liquid based cytology and HPV testing , are also available.

"Women who can be identified early through screening can have effective treatment for cervical cancer and go on to lead robust lives," said Phipps, who is also chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Cervical cancer was once a leading cause of cancer death for women in the U.S., but the death rate has been cut in half thanks mostly to screening, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Nearly 12,800 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2017, according to the ACS. About 4,200 women will die of the disease.

The USPSTF last addressed cervical cancer screening in 2012, when it advised women ages 21 to 65 to have a Pap test every three years. Women ages 30 to 65 could lengthen the time between screenings to five years if they also received an HPV test at the same time.

Adult colorectal cancer risk tied to weight as a teen

<p>Being overweight or obese as a teenager may increase a person’s risk of developing colorectal cancer as an adult, according to a large study.</p>Long-term follow-up of 1.79 million Israeli men and women examined for military service as teenagers showed that overweight and obese teens were over 50 percent more likely to develop colon or rectal cancer by middle age, compared to normal-weight peers.

2. About Pap smears . The Pap smear checks for changes in the cells of the cervix (neck of the womb) at the top of the vagina. It is a screening test The guidelines are based on the latest evidence about cervical cancer , abnormal Pap smears and their relationship to the human papilloma virus ( HPV ).

How Often Should I Have a Pap Test ? A Pap test , also called a Pap smear , is an exam a doctor uses to test for cervical cancer in women . PubMed Health: “Papanicolaou Test ( Pap Smear ).” U.S. National Library of Medicine. CDC: “Genital HPV Infection -- Fact Sheet.”

Video: New Vaccine Expands HPV protection (Wochit News)

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Statin Heart Drugs May Protect Against Breast Cancer

Women with high cholesterol tend to have lower rates of breast cancer than those with lower levels, suggesting that statins protect against the disease.Women with high cholesterol tend to have lower rates of breast cancer than those with lower levels, according to new research, and those who do get breast cancer are less likely to die from their disease. These findings suggest that statins—drugs that are commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol—may also protect against cancer, say the study authors.

There are two tests to screen for cervical cancer . The first one is the Pap test or Pap smear . It looks for any unusual cells that could be precancerous and could develop into cervical cancer . The second test is the Human Papillomavirus ( HPV ) test .

• Do primary HPV testing with PAP smear for. • Low risk women over 30 can have extended. screening 2-3 yrs without HPV typing- just negative pap . • Age 21-29 with negative cytology (do not do.

A woman's experience does not differ by the screening; both of the tests require analysis of cells scraped from the cervix. But the Pap test - also known as cytology - looks for potentially cancerous cells on the cervix. The HPV - or hrHPV - test looks for the virus that can cause cervical cancer.

After a review of new evidence, the USPSTF recommends that women ages 21 to 29 receive a Pap test every three years. For women ages 30 to 65, they recommend either a Pap test every three years or an HPV test every five years.

Unless a women is at high risk for cervical cancer, the USPSTF recommends against screening after age 65.

Phipps told Reuters Health that the HPV test may not be right for younger women since infections with the virus often clear up on their own. Additionally, they recommend against screening among most older women since the risk of cervical cancer is low.

As for now allowing women between 30 and 65 to choose between Pap and HPV tests, the USPSTF writes that the individual tests "offer a reasonable balance between benefits and harms."

They caution that HPV testing leads to much higher rates of additional testing than Pap testing. They did not examine the costs of these screenings, however.

Ovarian cancer symptoms and warning signs

On Sept. 1, National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month begins. With around 22,440 new cases of ovarian cancer predicted for 2017, it's possible that a woman you know may receive a diagnosis. Ovarian cancer is the tenth most common cancer and the fifth-leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., but it can be treated if it's caught early, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Cervical Cancer Screening : Pap and HPV Tests . Each year, approximately 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in the United States. Yet cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers today.

Screening includes the Pap test and, for some women , testing for human papillomavirus ( HPV ). • Women aged 30–65 years should have a Pap test and an HPV test (co- testing ) every 5 years (preferred).

The American College of Obstetrician and Gynecologists (ACOG) still recommends Pap testing alone or in conjunction with HPV testing, said Dr. Linus Chuang, who is professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

"I don’t think this will make American obstetricians and gynecologists change practice, because they will look at ACOG as gold standard," said Chuang, who was not involved with the new recommendations. "But this will challenge it."

The USPSTF is accepting public comments on its draft recommendations until October 9, online at http://bit.ly/2jlQBpC.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2wZcSOC USPSTF, online September 12, 2017.

Gallery: 10 signs of cervical cancer you need to know about (by Redbook)your ob-gyn, you've taken the crucial first step in preventing cervical cancer. (Bonus points if you also received the vaccine that protects against the strains of HPV most associated with the disease.) But scouting out this gynecological cancer - around 12,000 new cases are diagnosed each year - requires more than just a pap smear every few years. Here, doctors share the changes you need to be aware of, plus what should send you to your ob-gyn ASAP.