Cervical cancer screenings not needed for low risk women

ATLANTA - For the first time, doctors are saying that women at low risk for developing cervical cancer don&#39;t need to be screened. <br> <br> The American Cancer Society&#39;s latest guidelines reduce the frequency of cervical cancer screening for some women with the Pap test -- the key test in detecting the cancer. <br> <br> The guidelines, issued in this month&#39;s edition of the Atlanta-based society&#39;s cancer journal, say that testing isn&#39;t needed for young women who are not sexually active, women 70 or older who have had normal Pap tests in the past and women who&#39;ve had hysterectomies for non-cancer related purposes. <br> <br> The problem, doctors who wrote the guidelines said, is the Pap test can pick up too much, causing doctors to perform additional testing that can cause patients unnecessary worry, money and sometimes adverse reactions.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/12/201742