Comments on: Why does cancer of the cervix still occur? http://www.advances-in-medicine.com/2009/08/why-does-cancer-of-the-cervix-still-occur.html Tue, 12 Apr 2011 08:14:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Elizabeth http://www.advances-in-medicine.com/2009/08/why-does-cancer-of-the-cervix-still-occur.html/comment-page-1#comment-90828 Elizabeth Sun, 05 Sep 2010 07:49:33 +0000 http://www.advances-in-medicine.com/?p=242#comment-90828 False negatives are another factor - around a third of the small number of women who get cervical cancer have had a recent normal smear or a series of normal smears. The pap smear is an unreliable test that produces false negatives (0.35%) and lots of false positives. Only 0.65% of women benefit from smears but 2 yearly smears send 77% of women at some point for colposcopy and usually some sort of biopsy - that is huge over-diagnosis. Some women are left with problems after biopsies - especially LEEP and cone biopsies - infertility, problems during pregnancy, miscarriages, more c-sections, premature babies and psych issues. Almost all referrals are for false positives. In an unscreened developed country only 1% would get this cancer - false negatives will always occur, even if every woman screened. Adenocarcinomas are usually missed by smears - it's a rare form of cervix cancer. Also, screening carries risk as well as benefits and informed consent is a legal requirement for all cancer screening. As a low risk woman with a risk near zero, I was not prepared to accept a 77% lifetime risk of unnecessary biopsies or treatment. I made an informed decision not to screen 30 years ago. Anyone interested in reading the facts - go to Dr Joel Sherman's medical privacy blog and under women's privacy issues you'll find lots of information. My statistics are taken from Richard DeMay's article - also see research by Dr Angela Raffle, "1000 women need regular smears for 35 years to save ONE woman from cc". Protect yourself from harm - look at your risk profile, the risks and benefits of testing and make an educated decision. Finland has the lowest rates of cc in the world and send the fewest women for biopsies (fewer false positives) they test 5 yearly from age 30 - 5 to 7 tests in total. Screening is unsafe in women under 25 and does not affect the tiny death rate from cancer - it's of negligible value in the 25-30 age group. Less is more with screening and sometimes no screening at all is even better, it is never right or wrong to screen, your informed decision is the right decision. False negatives are another factor – around a third of the small number of women who get cervical cancer have had a recent normal smear or a series of normal smears. The pap smear is an unreliable test that produces false negatives (0.35%) and lots of false positives. Only 0.65% of women benefit from smears but 2 yearly smears send 77% of women at some point for colposcopy and usually some sort of biopsy – that is huge over-diagnosis. Some women are left with problems after biopsies – especially LEEP and cone biopsies – infertility, problems during pregnancy, miscarriages, more c-sections, premature babies and psych issues. Almost all referrals are for false positives.
In an unscreened developed country only 1% would get this cancer – false negatives will always occur, even if every woman screened.
Adenocarcinomas are usually missed by smears – it’s a rare form of cervix cancer.

Also, screening carries risk as well as benefits and informed consent is a legal requirement for all cancer screening.
As a low risk woman with a risk near zero, I was not prepared to accept a 77% lifetime risk of unnecessary biopsies or treatment. I made an informed decision not to screen 30 years ago.

Anyone interested in reading the facts – go to Dr Joel Sherman’s medical privacy blog and under women’s privacy issues you’ll find lots of information. My statistics are taken from Richard DeMay’s article – also see research by Dr Angela Raffle, “1000 women need regular smears for 35 years to save ONE woman from cc”.
Protect yourself from harm – look at your risk profile, the risks and benefits of testing and make an educated decision.
Finland has the lowest rates of cc in the world and send the fewest women for biopsies (fewer false positives) they test 5 yearly from age 30 – 5 to 7 tests in total.
Screening is unsafe in women under 25 and does not affect the tiny death rate from cancer – it’s of negligible value in the 25-30 age group.
Less is more with screening and sometimes no screening at all is even better, it is never right or wrong to screen, your informed decision is the right decision.

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