“The co-test has improved the detection of cervical cancer and is the preferred screening method. Cervical cancer used to be the #1 cancer killer of women prior to the invention of the Pap test and is now #15 ♥️
94.1% of cervical cancers and 99.7% of cervical pre-cancers are detected by the co-test. Screening with the Pap and HPV co-test identified 70% of the cancers missed by HPV testing alone ♥️
91% of my OB/GYN colleagues believe co-testing is essential for health. The American Cancer Society recently updated their ACS cervical cancer screening guidelines to decrease the frequency of screenings and to rely on HPV-alone screening. This may prompt a decline in preventative care, limit screening options and coverage, and potentially cause the racial disparity gap to grow even further. Thankfully, their guidelines are not the federal guidelines which continue to recommend cervical co-testing ♥️”
