Despite increased screening and HPV vaccines, cervical cancer remains the fourth-leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Screening guidelines are constantly scrutinized and reassessed. The most current U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines recommend screening for cervical cancer every 3 years with cervical cytology alone in women aged 21 to 29 years. For women aged 30 to 65 years, the USPSTF recommends screening every 3 years with cervical cytology alone, every 5 years with high-risk HPV testing, or every 5 years with high-risk HPV testing with cytology.

To get the full picture on how gynecologists and oncologists today are navigating screening guidelines and new treatment options with their patients, Oncology Times interviewed Deanna Gerber, MD, an obstetrics and gynecology specialist at NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center. Gerber treats women who have cancer of the reproductive tract and who have been diagnosed with a genetic mutation that increases their risk of gynecologic cancer. She offers preventive treatments and risk-reducing surgery as a routine part of her care approach. She discussed how oncologists can approach conversations around screening and address the issue of screening overuse and underuse.