In December 2024, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued new draft guidelines for cervical cancer screening. AWHP submitted a letter during the public comment period for consideration as the USPSTF finalizes the guidelines.
Cervical cancer leads to thousands of deaths a year in the U.S., making it a key and ongoing women’s health priority. And while screening options are highly effective at detecting cervical cancer early, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic inequities in screening exacerbate the impact of cervical cancer on minoritized communities. This highlights the need to ensure patients have access to robust screening methods.
Given our commitment to preventing cervical cancer, AWHP believes that the final USPSTF guidelines must maintain a range of screening options, prioritize patient-provider decision-making and early detection, and consider the health equity impacts of their guidance. AWHP strongly supports this decision to safeguard access to co-testing (combined Pap and HPV testing) with an “A” rating and believes this recommendation will aid in the early detection of disease — ultimately saving lives.
Our board member Dr. Haywood Brown, an OBGYN and Past President of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), expressed his support for the guidelines from the clinician perspective. “As an OB-GYN and national leader in women’s health disparities, I am deeply concerned by cervical cancer incidence and the disparate impact this disease has on communities of color, and therefore urge the Task Force to finalize its recommendations and protect access to co-testing,” he said.
In our letter, however, AWHP recommends that the USPSTF remove its language referencing “alternative” methods, effectively suggesting one screening method over another. Given that the USPSTF does not include preferential language in its other guidelines, we believe that the inclusion of this language is a departure from the rating criteria set forth by the USPSTF, and therefore may create unnecessary confusion.
Finally, the draft guidelines reference HPV self-collection testing, a testing modality that is gaining traction. While additional screening is vital, further evidence is needed before self-collection is implemented as a primary method for screening. Currently, we do not believe there is sufficient evidence to warrant an A rating for self-collection, and believe that the USPSTF should regrade self-collection and provide a grade that is consistent with the rating criteria it has set forth (suggest I or C rating).
With the range of highly effective screening tools available, cervical cancer is nearly preventable — and it is our duty to work tirelessly toward its eradication. AWHP encourages the USPSTF to leverage its key role in this effort.
Read our full comment letter here, and our press release featuring insight from Dr. Brown here.