Safe to delay colposcopies: New screening advice
GPs might start seeing women on colposcopy waiting lists returning for another HPV test
Most women who are positive for non-16/18 HPV on a cervical screening test can safely delay colposcopy for up to two years, according to updated guidance to apply from 1 February.
The change means that low-risk women with persistent oncogenic HPV infection other than types 16 and 18 at their 12-month follow-up test can have another test at 24 months before referral for colposcopy.
Data from the National Cervical Cancer Screening Program has found women with persistent non-16/18 HPV infection are forming a “large proportion of colposcopy referrals with