Master Cervical Cancer Screening with Picmonic for Medicine

Beginning at the age of 21, women should be screened every 3 years with a pap smear.

After the age of 30, women can opt for additional screening methods and increase the interval between screenings.

After the age of 30, women can opt for co-testing to detect precancerous tissue and HPV infection. Co-testing with a pap smear and HPV test increases the screening interval to every 5 years.

Cytology (pap smear) and HPV are helpful in identifying and finding a source for precancerous or cancerous lesions in women.

Cryotherapy, or the destruction of high-grade lesions through freezing, is a method of excision.

Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) is a common approach to treat high grade cervical dysplasia. It is done by a practitioner using an electrified wire loop excising the cervical transformation zone and suspicious lesion.

Cervical conization refers to an excision of a cone-shaped sample of tissue from the mucous membrane of the cervix. Conization may be used either for diagnostic purposes as part of a biopsy, or for therapeutic purposes.