Cervical cancer

Guidelines on Cervical Cancer Screening in Québec

Population targeted by the screening

All women who are sexually active or were in the past.

Sexual activities include all types of genital contact, with or without vaginal penetration, with male or female partners.

At what age should screening begin?

The recommended age to begin screening is 21.

However, screening can be delayed for women who have not yet had sexual activity at this age. Exceptionally and based on the clinical context, screening may begin earlier, for example, among immunodepressed young women.

How often should one have a screening test?

The recommended interval between screening tests is two to three years.

At what age should screening be stopped?

Among women who have had screening tests regularly, screening may cease at the age of 65 if the results of the last two tests conducted in the previous 10 years were neg…

Groupe de travail sur les lignes directrices pour le dépistage du cancer du col utérin au Québec

Recommendations on optimizing cervical cancer screening in Québec

In 2007, the Comité sur l'immunisation du Québec (CIQ) recommended the establishment of a human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization program with the main objective of reducing the incidence of cervical cancer. In its recommendation paper, the CIQ pointed out the importance of measuring the impact of such a program and the necessary complementarity that should exist between the immunization program and cancer screening activities. However, it was not within the organization's mandate to issue specific recommendations regarding screening.

The present recommendation paper is an extension of the CIQ's recommendations. Its objectives are to clarify the relevance of cervical cancer screening now that vaccination is on its way, to document the current weaknesses in screening, and most of all, to identify the conditions, strategies and means to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of cervical cancer screening in Québec.

The analysis of current screening weaknesses was bas…