What are the recommended screening guidelines for cervical cancer in women aged 25-64 in the UK?

In the United Kingdom, the NHS cervical screening programme is available to women aged 25–64 years in England ¹,². The primary objective of this programme is the early detection of precancerous lesions, such as high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and adenocarcinoma in situ, to enable effective treatment and prevent invasive cancer ¹,².

• Screening Process: All cervical samples are initially screened for high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) subtypes ³. Cytology testing is only performed as a triage test if hrHPV is detected ³.
• Negative hrHPV Result: If a person tests negative for hrHPV, they are classified as 'negative' and can be safely returned to routine recall ³.
• Positive hrHPV Result:
  • If a person tests positive for hrHPV, a cytology test is performed ³.
  • If the cytology report is negative, the HPV test should be repeated at 12 months ³. If this repeat HPV test is negative, the person can return to routine recall ³.
  • If the HPV test remains positive at 12 months, another repeat HPV test should be performed in a further 12 months (at 24 months from the initial positive test) ³. If this 24-month HPV test is negative, the person can return to routine recall ³.
  • If the HPV test remains positive at 24 months, the person should be referred to colposcopy ³.
  • If a person is hrHPV positive and receives an abnormal cytology report at either the 12-month or 24-month follow-up, they must be referred to colposcopy ³.
• Reasons for Delaying Screening: Cervical screening should be delayed if the person is menstruating, less than 12 weeks post-partum, less than 12 weeks after a termination of pregnancy or miscarriage, pregnant, or has a vaginal discharge or pelvic infection (in which case the infection should be treated first) ³.