The NHS has announced that more accurate human papillomavirus (HPV) testing will enable millions of women in England to benefit from more personalised cervical screening from next month.
From July, younger women (aged 25 to 49) who test negative for HPV, meaning they are at very low risk of cervical cancer over the next 10 years, will safely be invited at 5-year intervals rather than 3, in line with major clinical evidence.
Those whose sample indicates the presence of HPV or who have a recent history of HPV, which causes nearly all cervical cancers, will continue to be invited to more frequent screenings to check HPV has cleared and if not, if any cell changes have developed.
The move follows a recommendation by the UK National Screening Committee, and is the approach already used for women aged 50 to 64 in England.
Since December 2019, all cervical screening samples taken in England have been tested for high-risk HPV, which is more accurate than the previous method of cytology testing (known as a ‘smear test’).
Studies have shown that if a person tests negative for HPV they are extremely unlikely to go on to develop cervical cancer within the next decade, leading to a UK National Screening Committee recommendation to offer more personalised intervals for women based on their risk.
Analysis of a pilot of this approach in England, led by King’s College London researchers and published in the BMJ in 2022, showed that 5-yearly screening is as safe as 3-yearly, that the same number of cancers are found, and less frequent cervical screening tests are needed.
