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Dr. Solomon is Senior Investigator, Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD.
Dr. Breen is Health Economist, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD.
Mr. McNeel is Systems Analyst, Information Management Services, Inc., Silver Spring, MD.
This article is available online at http://CAonline.AmCancerSoc.org
To earn free CME credit for successfully completing the online quiz based on this article, go to http://CME.AmCancerSoc.org
| ABSTRACT |
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| INTRODUCTION |
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Screening guidelines and adherence to the recommendations are key factors affecting the numbers of Pap tests performed. From 1988 to 2002, cervical screening recommendations promulgated by various US organizations generally recommended that screening should begin at the onset of sexual activity and continue throughout life; some organizations recommended annual screening, while others recommended longer intervals for women with several prior negative Pap tests.
From 2002 to 2003, revised screening guidelines were published by the American Cancer Society (ACS),2 the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG),3 and the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).4 The revisions address when to start, when to stop, and how often to screen. To summarize:
The future impact of these guidelines on the numbers of Pap tests performed has not been formally assessed. In these analyses, we use the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data from 1987, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2000, and 2003 to estimate the percentage of women who received Pap tests. We then extrapolate these rates to the US population in those years to estimate the total number of Pap tests performed. Finally, we use US Census Bureau population projections to extrapolate the number of Pap tests that would be performed through 2010 under 5 different scenarios of screening guideline implementation, spanning the spectrum from screening all women according to guidelines to no change from current behavior patterns of screening.
| METHODS |
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Questions on Pap testing have been fielded to women aged 18 and older periodically since 1975 (see Online Supplement). In 1987, 1992, 1998, 2000, and 2003, women were asked whether they had ever received a Pap test and, if they responded yes, were asked how long ago they had their most recent one. In 1991, a variation of the question asked women if they had received a Pap test in the previous year. In 1993 and 1994, the question regarding past screening used overlapping categories that did not allow discrimination of women who had received a Pap test in the previous year; therefore, for these years, we analyzed only whether the woman had a Pap test within the previous 3 years. In 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998, and 2000, women were also asked whether they had had a hysterectomy. Women who refused to answer the question, reported "don't know," or for whom a response was not ascertained were excluded.
Using the screening rates from the NHIS and weighted US Census Bureau population estimates for the survey year, we extrapolated the number of women who had a Pap test. Women were initially stratified into 10-year birth cohorts. On examination, similarities in the percentage of women who reported having a Pap test in the previous year among some of the 10-year cohorts led us to combine some cohorts. This resulted in 4 separate cohorts: women born before 1930, women born between 1930 to 1949, women born between 1950 to 1969, and women born 1970 and later.
Of the total number of Pap tests performed, we determined the proportion contributed by each of the four birth cohorts and then stratified by hysterectomy status. Finally, we projected the number of women who would be expected to receive a Pap test under different scenarios using US Census Bureau Interim Projections. All analyses are weighted by the sample weights to account for the unequal probabilities of sample selection, for nonresponse, and for adjustments to the 2000 US Census age, race, and sex distribution. The data were analyzed using SAS® Software Version 8.2.
| RESULTS |
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| DISCUSSION |
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In 2002 to 2003, screening guidelines for the age to start screening, the interval between screens, and when to stop screening were revised by several groups.2–4 How these recommendations will impact utilization of cervical screening and the numbers of Pap tests performed will depend on the extent of the adherence to the guidelines. All three groups advise against routine screening of women who have undergone total hysterectomy with removal of the cervix for reasons other than cervical neoplasia. If routine screening were eliminated in this population, we estimate it would affect the 15% of Pap tests (approximately 9 to 10 million) that are performed on hysterectomized women. This estimate is consistent with Sirovich et al8 and suggests that eliminating routine screening in this population alone would have significant impact on the numbers of Pap tests performed.
Our extrapolations show that, if screening behavior remained unchanged, there would be a total of 75 million Pap tests performed annually by 2010. By contrast, 100% compliance with a program of biennial screening from ages 18 to 29 and triennial screening from ages 30 to 70, with combined HPV and cytology, would more than halve the total number of Pap tests to 34 million annually. Cost-effectiveness analysis suggests such a strategy—using more sensitive screening at less frequent intervals—would reduce cancer risk and reduce costs, compared with a program of annual cytology screening.9 Excessive screening increases not only monetary costs and inconvenience for women, but also unintended consequences of overtreatment.10
The rapidity with which guidelines are incorporated by practicing clinicians varies depending on many factors, including (1) the perceived need for guidelines; (2) the strength of the evidence basis for the recommendations; (3) the extent of promulgation by professional societies; (4) the cost of implementation and who bears the costs; (5) the impact on medicolegal risk; and (6) the consequences of noncompliance. A full examination of such issues is beyond the scope of this article. However, comparing the rate of implementation of HPV testing in two separate contexts—triage of equivocal cytology and primary screening—is informative.
Before 2001, most women with equivocal atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) Pap test results were referred for colposcopy or followed with repeat Pap tests. The multicenter randomized ASCUS/low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion Triage Study (ALTS)11 provided evidence of the utility of HPV testing for triage of ASCUS, which formed the basis for the development of consensus guidelines by professional societies that incorporated HPV triage as an option for ASCUS management.12 Four years later, estimates based on sales of the US Food and Drug Administration-approved HPV test suggest that 85% of ASCUS is now triaged using HPV testing (J. Schmalz, Digene Corporation, written communication, November 2006), and cytology laboratories report receiving fewer requests for repeat Pap tests following an ASCUS result.
However, whether triennial screening with the combination of HPV testing and cytology for women aged 30 and older will be accepted by physicians and women is unclear. While a prospective cohort study13 and a cost-effectiveness model9 provide evidence for increased efficacy of this approach, clinicians and women may be reluctant to shift from annual to triennial screening. Many clinicians consider Pap testing to be the catalyst that brings women in for regular gynecologic examinations, and women, taught to believe in annual testing, may worry that less frequent screening will not be adequate.14 Cost-effectiveness studies demonstrate that HPV testing with triennial screening would increase both efficacy and cost-effectiveness of screening for cervical cancer. Adding HPV testing to annual screening, in combination with cytology, would dramatically increase screening and follow-up costs and overtreatment of women, with negligible gain in life expectancy.9
The advent of prophylactic HPV vaccines that prevent infection in naïve (unexposed) girls and women is likely to dramatically impact the future of cervical cancer screening. At this writing, Gardasil—a quadrivalent vaccine that targets HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18—has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration and a recommendation by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice15,16,17 for use in girls aged 9 to 26. Another vaccine in late stage clinical trials, Cervarix, targets the same oncogenic HPV types 16 and 1818 that are responsible for 70% of cervical cancers. Vaccines with even broader valency against additional oncogenic HPV types are under development. Such vaccines herald the era of primary prevention of cervical cancer and presage a minor role for cervical cytology screening in the decades to come. Until then, however, cervical screening for unvaccinated women, as well as vaccinated women and adolescents, remains important for three reasons. First, while the type-specific efficacy of the vaccine in naïve women approaches 100%, the vaccines are not likely to be effective in treating already established infections.19 Second, the duration of protection is not known. Third, oncogenic HPV types not included in the current vaccines are responsible for approximately 30% of cervical cancers. Therefore, women should continue to be screened according to guidelines, regardless of vaccination status.
In the longer term though, effective prophylactic vaccines against the major oncogenic HPV types are expected to greatly reduce risk for cervical precancer and cancer and should lead to less frequent screening. Later initiation and a longer interval between screenings should reduce the emotional and financial costs of overscreening and overtreatment. Reduced prevalence of cervical abnormalities in the era of vaccination is likely to decrease the positive predictive value of abnormal cytology results. Clinical studies to determine optimal strategies for screening in the era of prophylactic vaccines are needed now and ideally should include linking of abnormal cyto- and histopathology results to vaccination status.
The NHIS is the only US population-based survey database designed for estimating the rate of cervical cancer screening in the United States and the number of Pap tests performed. However, a number of limitations to this analysis should be noted. First, although NHIS is weighted to the US Census and representative of the total US population, interviews are conducted only among a sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized population; patients in long-term care facilities, persons on active duty with the US Armed Forces (although their dependents are included), and US nationals living in foreign countries are not included and may have different rates of screening. Second, a limitation shown in previous studies is that self-reported "recall" of cancer screening testing may overestimate rates of use. Third, the NHIS consistently captures only information regarding whether or not the woman received a Pap test. Most survey years did not ask whether the Pap test was performed for screening or was a repeat Pap test for follow up of an initial abnormal screen, or whether she had multiple Pap tests. However, from years where this information was obtained in the NHIS, we know that the vast majority of Pap tests are performed for screening. Because the question is whether a woman had a test within the time period, and not how many tests, the survey captures a maximum of one event per woman per time period. However, we believe underestimation of the number of Pap tests is minimal because (1) most clinicians now use HPV testing for triage of equivocal ASCUS results, rather than following women with repeat cytology; and (2) other circumstances where cytology follow up within a 1 year interval is recommended are very limited.12
Finally, our data on hysterectomy are limited. Women who report a hysterectomy were not asked when the surgery occurred in relation to the Pap test, the reason for the hysterectomy, or if the hysterectomy was supracervical (cervix sparing). Therefore, we cannot distinguish the proportion of women whose hysterectomy was for cervical neoplasia or who have an intact cervix; for such women, continued Pap testing would be appropriate, according to guidelines.2–4 However, with the increased utilization of loop electrosurgical excision procedure, an estimated 7% of hysterectomies are performed for cervical neoplasia,20 and only 2% of hysterectomies are supracervical.21 Therefore, less than 10% of hysterectomized women should continue to be screened.
Screening all women in accordance with revised guidelines would more appropriately allocate screening resources, while reducing the total number of Pap tests performed. Approximately 16% of women do not receive regular Pap tests, while 15% of Pap tests (9.5 million) are performed in hysterectomized women. Since an estimated 90% of hysterectomized women should not be screened, these resources would be more effectively used if they were to cover women currently not receiving regular Pap tests. Finally, the development of effective prophylactic HPV vaccines will not immediately impact the numbers of Pap tests performed, but will transform cervical cancer screening in the next decade. Physicians will need to develop alternatives to Pap testing to encourage regular check ups.
| Acknowledgments |
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| REFERENCES |
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