New cervical cancer screening guidelines: 3 key changes
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2022 cervical cancer was the
Studies project that cervical cancer numbers may jump by almost 57% by 2050.
A Pap test or Pap smear is a preventive test that can help diagnose early signs of cervical cancer. In many instances, your doctor may also co-test you for a sexually transmitted infection (STI) with the human papillomavirus (HPV) during a Pap smear.
This is because having certain variants of HPV may
On December 4, 2025 the American Cancer Society (ACS) released
The screening updates were also published in
And on January 5, 2026, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) also updated their screening guidelines with the same recommendation: That people between the ages of 30 and 65 at average risk of cervical cancer can self-collect samples for testing.
Medical News Today spoke with four obstetrics and gynecology experts to find out more about what these guidelines changes are and what they mean cisgender female readers.
While the ACS still highly recommends women have HPV testing performed on a cervical sample collected by their doctor every 5 years, the new guidelines now allow women to collect their own HPV testing sample using a test approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“A self-collected HPV test is a self sampling kit that can be used by a patient at home or in a clinic setting,” Blair R Gumnic, DO, an obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN) at the Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center in New Jersey, explained to MNT.
“It screens only for high risk HPV which is the virus that can cause cervical cancer. If you have a positive result from a self-collected test, you will still need to follow up with a doctor. A Pap smear is a test that can only be done by a medical provider that evaluates both cellular change of the cervix and the HPV virus,” Gumnic detailed.
“A gynecologic exam is the most common method to complete testing, regardless of which method is used,” added Jason Knight, MD, a board-certified gynecologic oncologist and regional director of Gynecologic Oncology at Atlantic Health.
“However,“ said Knight, “self-collected HPV testing is becoming increasingly available. While the self-collected test does not require a gynecologic exam, it does require a prescription for a sample collection kit, particularly if at-home sample collection is desired. The sample is collected privately by the individual themself using a collection swab or brush which is placed inside the vagina. The sample is then returned to the lab for processing.”
Ami P. Vaidya, MD, co-vice chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Hackensack University Medical Center and co-chief of the GYN Oncology Division at the John Theurer Cancer Center in New Jersey, said she was pleased to see that the ACS has tried to address the major issue of health care access.
“By including FDA-approved HPV self collection tests in the guidelines, they have allowed for women to get some screening even if they do not have easy access to health care,” Vaidya explained. “Women can even self test at home, which is really important for women with limited access to care.”
However, G. Thomas Ruiz, MD, a board certified OB/GYN and lead OB/GYN at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, expressed some concern about the potential for error with a self-administered test.
“Having been in practice for so long and talking to people and their understanding of their own reproductive anatomy, I am skeptical as to whether or not they’ll do the test properly. I guess I would have to look at long term and years in data to see if they actually are successful.”
Another update to ACS’s guidelines is starting cervical cancer screenings at age 25 for those at average risk for cervical cancer, and should be performed every 3 to 5 years, depending on which test a person uses.
“Pap testing has been the cornerstone of early detection,” Knight explained. “In recent years, testing for HPV has been an option for some patients as an alternative to, or in combination with, Pap testing. Stand-alone HPV testing is now recognized as more powerful at identifying individuals requiring follow up (and in some cases, treatment) than the stand-alone Pap test.”
“As a result, the American Cancer Society has revised its cervical cancer screening guideline to recommend HPV testing, by itself, as the preferred method for cervical cancer screening in individuals with a cervix between the age of 25 and 65,” he continued. “Screening with the Pap test, by itself, or in combination with the HPV test, remain options recognized by the guideline.”
“Determining which method to use is best accomplished in consultation with your doctor,” Knight added. “The American Cancer Society recommends testing every 5 years for individuals who have medical-provider-collected HPV screening, by itself, or in combination with a Pap test. Testing is recommended every 3 years for individuals using the self-collected HPV test, or if a provider-collected Pap is not combined with an HPV test.”
The third main update to the ACS’s guidelines is more detailed information on when a to stop cervical cancer screenings.
“According to the guidelines, screening can stop after the age of 65 if a person has been consistently receiving screening every 3 to 5 years, according to the prevailing guideline at that time, and if the last three tests (if HPV testing was not included in screening) or if the last two tests (if HPV testing was included in screening) have been normal,” Knight detailed.
“It is possible to stop screening in this case because the likelihood of acquiring an HPV infection, and for that infection to persist long enough to cause cancer, is particularly low,” he added.
“The screening for cervical cancer does not need to continue indefinitely for women aged 65 and older, as long as their prior screening history meets the new criteria and there is no high-risk history,” Gumnic explained.
“Previous guidelines recommended stopping screening at age 65 if prior screenings were normal, however did not provide clear criteria for the definition of prior normal screenings. This new information provides a more definitive guideline for when cervical cancer screening can be stopped. This helps to reduce over screening while still keeping patients safe,” said the OB/GYN.
Vaidya urged women to know all the cancer screening guidelines for their health.
“We can make a significant impact with prevention (HPV vaccine) and early detection (Pap or self collection),” she explained. “We could actually decrease the cervical cancer rate and deaths with best adherence.”
“It is important for patients to remember that regardless of how you are screened, getting regular screenings at the recommended time intervals is always most important. It is always important for patients to understand new updates to screening guidelines so they can make educated decisions about their health. Screening recommendations might look different for some patients, but being up to date will help ease any anxieties about these changes.”
And Ruiz advised to remember that even if a person is not due for a Pap smear or HPV testing, or is under the age of 25, they still need to see their doctor every year for a wellness visit, which would include a pelvic exam and STI testing.
“The Pap smear is just one aspect of health screening and […] I think that’s the message — I don’t want people to get confused,” he said. “Pap is part of a wellness check — it is not the entire wellness check. So you should still have your annual physicals, your annual pelvic exam, your annual breast exam, your annual wellness visit, whether the Pap is done or not.”