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Cervical cancer screening
Screening for early signs of cervical cancer using the Pap test is one of the public health success stories of the 20th century, as shown by the substantially lower rates of cervical cancer in countries with an organised screening program.
Almost all cases of cervical cancer are linked to the human papillomavirus (HPV). Pap tests in women aged 18 or over who have been sexually active are effective in detecting precancerous cell abnormality caused by HPV.
Policy advice on cervical cancer screening is available in the cervical cancer chapter of our National Cancer Prevention Policy.
Forms of HPV that cause cervical cancer can be prevented through immunisation. For more information see the immunisation section or visit our HPV vaccine website.
This page was last updated on: Wednesday, March 9, 2016
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