Why pap smear after hysterectomy

Pap test, also called a Pap smear, is a routine screening test for early diagnosis of cervical cancer. If you had a partial hysterectomy — when the uterus is removed but the lower end of the uterus cervix remains — your health care provider will likely recommend continued Pap tests. Similarly, if you had a partial hysterectomy or a total hysterectomy — when both the uterus and cervix are removed — for a cancerous or precancerous condition, regular Pap tests may still be recommended as an early detection tool to monitor for a new cancer or precancerous change.

Cancer screening in the United States, A review of the current American Cancer Society guidelines and current issues in cancer screening. Cervical Cancer Screening and Prevention. Cervical cancer screening adult.

Rochester, Minn. See also Blood clots during menstruation: A concern? Cervical cancer Cervical dysplasia: Is it cancer? Genital warts Heavy periods: Can folic acid help? HPV infection: How does it cause cervical cancer? Mayo Clinic Press Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic. Legal Conditions and Terms Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below.

Advertising Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization and proceeds from Web advertising help support our mission. Advertising and sponsorship policy Advertising and sponsorship opportunities. To continue reading this article, you must log in. Already a member? Login ». As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.

No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE gift. Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle, with ways to fight inflammation and improve cognitive health , plus the latest advances in preventative medicine, diet and exercise , pain relief, blood pressure and cholesterol management, and more. In , nearly half Screening was largely due to clinician recommendations, but it was initiated by patients without clinician recommendations in about one-fourth of cases.

A study of provider attitudes toward the cancer screening guidelines cited several reasons for nonadherence: patient concern about the guidelines; quality metrics that are incongruent with the guidelines; provider disagreement with the guidelines; risk of malpractice litigation; and lack of time to discuss the guidelines with patients.

As the healthcare landscape changes to team-based care, the clinician and the entire healthcare team should educate patients about the role of vaginal cancer screening after hysterectomy for benign reasons. Given the limited time clinicians have with patients during an office visit, innovative tools and systems outside the office are needed to educate patients about the risks and benefits of screening.

Pap testing to screen for vaginal cancer in women who have undergone hysterectomy for a benign indication is an example of more testing, not better care. Evidence is lacking to justify this test in women who are not at high risk of cervical cancer. To reduce the overuse of cytology screening tests, providers need to stay informed about evidence-based best practices and and to pass this information along to patients.

We should focus our resources on HPV vaccination and outreach to increase screening efforts in geographic areas with low rates of Pap testing rather than provide unnecessary Pap testing for women who have undergone hysterectomy for a benign indication. Share this article via email with one or more people using the form below. Advertising Policy.

Lipold, MD Advertising Policy.