Zusammenfassung
In 1971 an opportunistic screening program for cancer of the uterine cervix was initiated in Germany. This led to a 75 % reduction in the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer. The current European guidelines now recommend the implementation of an organized screening program. Starting in 2018 an organized human papillomavirus (HPV) test-based screening with cytology triage will be ...
Zusammenfassung
In 1971 an opportunistic screening program for cancer of the uterine cervix was initiated in Germany. This led to a 75 % reduction in the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer. The current European guidelines now recommend the implementation of an organized screening program. Starting in 2018 an organized human papillomavirus (HPV) test-based screening with cytology triage will be established in Germany. This article explains the background to this decision and presents the underlying studies which contributed to the decision. The existing data show a higher sensitivity of HPV-based screening for cervical cancer compared to a cytology-based program. The HPV test is a simple, reliable and objective procedure. The higher sensitivity and the high negative predictive value of HPV tests allow the interval between examinations to be extended; however, a possible overtreatment of moderate dysplasia of the uterine cervix has to be considered.
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