Women only need to get a Pap test once every three years to check for cervical cancer, and don't need to be screened until age 21, according to new guidelines released Wednesday by the United States Preventive Services Task Force. It aligns closely with guidelines from three US cancer groups that were also announced on Wednesday. Once they hit 30, women also have the option of getting screened once every five years if they choose to do Pap tests together with human papillomavirus (HPV) testing every time, the committees agreed. The recommendation to test every three or five years is based on evidence that cervical cancer is relatively slow-growing, she said, so it's very unlikely a woman would develop advanced cancer in the few years after a negative screening.
