Call and recall cervical screening programme: Screening interval and age limits

SummaryThe smear test for cervical screening has been around for over 50 years; however, there is still worldwide variation regarding screening age limits and intervals. This article will review the literature and present new analyses of UK Audit data and international cancer registry data to address the issues of when to start and stop screening and how often to screen. A rational approach to determining screening policy should take into account the underlying rate of cervical cancer, the absolute difference in effectiveness of screening at different intervals, and the costs of screening, including side effects of treatment.