Scaling back Cervical Cancer screening

Most women only need to be screened for cervical cancer once every three years, according to a new set of practice guidelines that the American College of Physicians, a national organization of doctors, released today. Women under the age of 21 shouldn't undergo testing at all regardless of their sexual health history, because many will receive abnormal test results without ever developing cervical cancer.
While preventive screening seems like a positive thing, testing too often can lead to an increased incidence of false positive results, saying some women are sick when they aren't. Follow-up tests increase health care costs and can sometimes lead to pain. Right now, about 60 percent of women in the US say that they were  screened cervical cancer by the age of 21."Screening more than once every three years does not lead to better care, it’s unnecessary care," says Tanveer Mir, physician and Chair-elect of the Board of Regents of the American College of Physicians. Despite similar guidelines issued by other agencies, doctors are still screening patients annually, she says and that shouldn't be the case. "Overall the focus of these guidelines is that physicians can practice good care by reducing over-treatment."