Skip to main content
Sonic Healthcare USA offers comprehensive screening and diagnostic laboratory testing for cervical health including:

Cervical Testing Solutions

  • Cervical Biopsy
  • Cervical DNA D-Tex
  • Human Papillomavirus (HPV) (DNA/mRNA)
  • Pap Test (ThinPrep/SurePath)

  Testing options may vary per clinical laboratory/pathology practice

Pap with Age-Based Screening Protocols

 

The chart below indicates the age-based testing protocol modeled after the recommendations and current guidelines of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Cancer Society which automatically configure testing based on patient age.

 

Age Image-Guided Pap High-Risk HPV HPV Genotyping 16, 18/45
21 - 24 years old If Pap is ASC-US
 25 - 29 years old  ✓  If Pap is ASC-US  —
 30 - 65 years old  ✓  ✓  When HPV is "positive"

 

Patients falling outside of these age ranges (<21 or >65), or without a date of birth, will receive an Image-Guided Pap test only.

Age-Based Recommendations for Cervical Cancer1

 

ACOG’s age-based screening recommendations have been integrated into our age-based codes to enhance the ordering process while helping healthcare providers care for their patients.

 

Age Pap High-Risk HPV HPV Genotyping 16, 18/45
Under 21 Not recommended Not recommended Not recommended
21 - 24 every 3 years Recommended to be used as a “reflex test” only when Pap result is ASC-US Not recommended
25 - 29 Recommended every 3 years Recommended to be used as a “reflex test” only when Pap result is ASC-US OR Every 5 years as an alternative to pap primary screen Not recommended
30 - 65 Recommended co-testing (using Pap and HPV concurrently) every 5 years OR Cytology alone every 3 years OR Primary testing alone every 5 years Reflexes to genotyping in co-tested patients whose HPV result is positive
Over 65 Screening should be discontinued if patient has had adequate negative prior screening results* and no history of CIN 2+ Recommend continuing age-based screening for 20 years in those patients with a history of CIN 2, CIN 3, or adenocarcinoma.

 

*Defined as 3 consecutive negative Paps or 2 consecutive negative co-tests within the past 10 years, with the most recent test occurring within the past 5 years.

ACOG screening recommendations do not apply to people—

  • With a prior diagnosis of a high-grade precancerous cervical lesion or cervical cancer
  • With in utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol
  • Who are immunocompromised (such as those who are HIV positive, organ transplant recipients, or on chronic immunosuppressive agents including corticosteroids)

References:

1. Curry SJ, Krist AH, Owens DK, Barry MJ, Caughey AB, Davidson KW, et al. Screening for cervical cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. U.S.  Preventive Services Task Force. JAMA 2018;320:674–86. Available at: www.jamanetwork.com/journals. Retrieved April 12, 2021.