[Summary of the practice guideline 'Prevention and early diagnosis of cervical cancer' of the Dutch College of General Practitioners]

Abstract

A persistent infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) underlies all cases of cervical cancer. HPV testing is repeated 6 months after initial Pap smears 2 or 3a1. As vaccination against HPV is now included in the National Immunisation Programme of the Netherlands, yearly cervical cancer morbidity and mortality rates are expected to be cut by half. After vaccination against HPV, women still need to participate in the cervical cancer screening programme. Breastfeeding is no longer a contraindication for making Pap smears, provided that breastfeeding is indicated on the cytology application form. Liquid-based cervical cytology is an equivalent to conventional cervical cytology and offers the possibility of testing for HPV. General practitioners are responsible for communicating results from the cervical cancer screening programme to the participating women.