Things to know about HPV

       1. Women younger than 21 years old should not be routinely screened, regardless of whether they have sex or not. This is because HPV infection and LSIL are relatively common in adolescent and young women, and most of them can be reversed by themselves, while the incidence of cervical cancer is very low. Routine screening has little effect on detecting and preventing cervical cancer in women in this age group, and instead can lead to unnecessary trauma and overtreatment. Experts point out that HPV preventive vaccination is a safe and effective cervical cancer prevention strategy for women in this age group. Guo Hongjun, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University 2. Women between the ages of 21 and 29 are recommended to receive cytological screening every three years, and HPV testing should not be routinely used for this group due to the high rate of HPV infection in women under the age of 30.  3. Women aged 30 to 65 years are recommended to receive combined screening with cytology + HPV testing every 5 years, with cytology screening every 3 years as an alternative option. If the combined screening results show HPV positivity and normal cytology, two options are available: (1) repeat cytology and HPV testing after 12 months; (2) immediate HPV16 and HPV16/18 typing tests. When HPV is persistently positive or positive for typing tests, immediate referral for colposcopy should be made. If the combined screening results show negative HPV and cytology is ASCUS, routine screening is sufficient.  4. Women older than 65 years of age with no history of CIN2 or higher for 20 years and 3 consecutive negative cytology review results or 2 consecutive negative combined review results within the previous 10 years (the most recent negative result was performed within the past 5 years) can be referred for routine screening.  5. Women who have undergone total hysterectomy for benign disease do not need routine screening if they have no history of CIN2 or higher.  6.Women who have received HPV prophylactic vaccine, the review procedure is the same as for the unvaccinated population.