Move Over Pap! Screening Guidelines Recommend HPV Testing as the Leading Test for Cervical Cancer Screening

📣 This Cervical Cancer Awareness Month we have a lot to talk about! New guidelines. New comfortable FDA-authorized screening options. It is getting easier!
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Cervical cancer is unique in that it is preventable and can be eliminated with routine screening and vaccination, however screening rates in the U.S. have been declining over the last decade and cervical cancer cases have been increasing in younger women - a trend we must put an end to - and we can!
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Within the last year, the traditionally loathed screening experience has gotten a makeover and women are now able to skip the dreaded speculum exam and comfortably and privately collect their own sample using FDA-authorized options, at-home or in-clinic.

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At-home self-collection: Available in all 50 states with virtual provider support. Simply request your kit on getteal.com.
In-clinic self-collection: Check with your provider to see if they have it available.

This is all thanks to advancements in science proving high-risk HPV (human papillomavirus) causes nearly all cervical cancers and the technology to test for the highest-risk HPV types from self-collected samples. These advancements are FDA-authorized and being written into the guidelines, so you can feel confident in selecting this new screening option.

To explain the new guidelines, let's quickly look back at the history of cervical cancer screening:

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‍1941: The Pap smear (Papanicolaou smear) test was introduced
‍Named after the inventor, George Papanicolaou. At the time, it was a game-changer. It was the first effort to detect early cancer. Before 1941, cervical cancer was the leading cause of cancer-related death among women in the US.
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1951: Henrietta Lacks cells (HeLa cells)
‍Before a young African–American woman named Henrietta Lacks died from aggressive cervical cancer in 1951, clinicians extracted a slice of her cervical tissue - without her consent. These cells reproduced themselves countless times and the “immortal” HeLa cells have contributed to countless medical breakthroughs over the decades, including the discovery in the 1980s that certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) cause more than 90% of cervical cancers.
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1990s: Cervical cancer rates decline
‍Due to screening, it’s reported that cervical cancer incidence, and mortality in the US has declined significantly since the 1950s by more than 70%.
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2006: HPV vaccine becomes available 
‍First available for children and teens and later extended to adult years. HPV vaccines are close to 100% effective for the prevention of persistent HPV infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
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2014: FDA approved the first test using HPV as the primary screen for cervical cancer
‍The HPV test, which is a more sensitive screen for cervical cancer than the Pap smear, looks for the presence of the virus, not abnormal cells, which the Pap does.
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2014-2018: Pelvic exams deemed unnecessary
‍In 2014, the American College of Physicians argued that pelvic exams are not necessary for non-pregnant women who are not experiencing any problems. In 2018, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) published similar recommendations.
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2020: Primary HPV test endorsed by ACS (Screening Guideline Update)
‍American Cancer Society (ACS) endorses primary HPV test as the preferred screening test for cervical cancer, passing the Pap test.
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2024: In-clinic self-collect is FDA authorized
‍The first self-collect Primary HPV testing option for in-clinic cervical cancer screening becomes FDA authorized with some provider practices starting to adopt it.
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2025: At-home self-collect is FDA authorized
‍The first self-collect Primary HPV testing device for at-home cervical cancer screening, the Teal Wand, is FDA authorized and becomes available to women directly from the getteal.com website.

2025: The ACS and HHS update Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines (includes self-collection)
‍The American Cancer Society (ACS), which already lists HPV testing as the preferred test for cervical cancer screening, added in-clinic and at-home self-collection HPV testing as accurate options for screening. The U.S. Department for Health and Human Services (HHS) also endorsed self-collection Primary HPV testing and is requiring insurers to cover the cost for screening and any necessary follow-up testing, by January 2027.
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This guideline update is very important because:

It reassures women and the medical community, that self-collect options have been rigorously tested and researched and they believe it is an accurate alternative to the traditional speculum exam
This is the first time women have been given an option on how they want the sample collected for their cervical cancer screening. The speculum has been the only way since the inception of the screening itself in 1941!

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How often should you screen?
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HPV testing, which is the preferred test for cervical cancer screening, is more sensitive than the Pap and therefore, it is no longer recommended to screen every year.

The American Cancer Society guidelines state that screenings are critical for anyone 25-65 years of age who has an intact cervix (has not had a full hysterectomy and removed the cervix). If you are under 25 or over 65 and would like to screen, please consult a local healthcare provider to discuss your screening options.
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All of the following factors help determine how often you should be screening for cervical cancer:

Type of test performed (Primary HPV, co-test, or Pap smear)
Collection method (self-collect vs. clinician-collect with the speculum)
Your results and history of results

If you choose the new at-home or in-clinic self-collection Primary HPV testing option, it is recommended that you screen every 3 years. However, please note that depending on your results and history, you may need to screen more often or have additional tests or treatments. It is always important to follow the direction from your provider.

For more details, see Teal’s article outlining the latest updates to the cervical cancer screening guidelines.

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‍Cervical cancer screening guidelines are developed by organizations like the USPSTF as well as other leading organizations, such as the American Cancer Society (ACS), American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP), and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
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This article was written by Lisa Santos at Teal Health.