The UK NSC recommendation on Cervical Cancer screening in women (currently under review)

This recommendation is currently being reviewed as part of the UK NSC's regular review cycle of all policies. The review process began in Jan 2018 and is estimated to be completed by Apr 2019.
Recommendation	Systematic population screening programme recommended

Key downloads	Plain English summary of UK NSC recommendation Last external review - HPV consultation papers (2018) UK NSC coversheet and consultation responses

The UK NSC recommended in November 2012 that the age of first invitation for cervical screening should be raised to 25 in Wales and Scotland on the basis that there is evidence of a large number of women screened and treated with relatively little benefit below this age. Screening for women aged 50-64 should be undertaken five yearly. A number of Questions and Answers have been written to help explain the rationale for starting screening at age 25 rather than 20.

Find general information about population health screening.

Why is screening recommended by UK NSC?

The reasons the UK NSC recommended changing to HPV as the primary cervical screening test are that:

the HPV vaccination offered to girls aged 12 to 13 strengthens the rationale for primary HPV screening. The vaccination will offer prevention of HPV and result in a falling number of women who remain at risk of catching HPV and developing cervical cancer

a primary test for HPV will save more lives by determining a woman’s risk earlier. Work to assess extending the screening interval with HPV screening is ongoing. This will follow once confirmatory pilot data and other international evidence is reviewed by the UK NSC

HPV testing means that if the woman tested does not have high risk HPV, her chances of developing a cancer within five years are very small

More about Cervical Cancer

The cervix is the lower part (or neck) of the womb, made of muscle tissue. It is the entrance to the womb from the vagina. Cancer of the cervix is a relatively rare type of cancer. In the UK, approximately 2,800 women are diagnosed with it each year.

Screening in the UK

Compare how screening is offered across the UK.

Stakeholders

The stakeholder groups will be involved when the recommendation is next reviewed. If you think your organisation should be added, please contact us. More information for stakeholders can be found in appendix C of the UK NSC evidence review process.

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