American Cancer Society, American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, and American Society for Clinical Pathology screening guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer.

An update to the American Cancer Society (ACS) guideline regarding screening for the early detection of cervical precancerous lesions and cancer is presented. The guidelines are based on a systematic evidence review, contributions from 6 working groups, and a recent symposium cosponsored by the ACS, the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, and the American Society for Clinical Pathology, which was attended by 25 organizations. The new screening recommendations address age-appropriate screening strategies, including the use of cytology and high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, follow-up (eg, the management of screen positives and screening intervals for screen negatives) of women after screening, the age at which to exit screening, future considerations regarding HPV testing alone as a primary screening approach, and screening strategies for women vaccinated against HPV16 and HPV18 infections.

ASCCP Colposcopy Standards: Risk-Based Colposcopy Practice.

OBJECTIVES: The American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) Colposcopy Standards recommendations address the role of and approach to colposcopy for cervical cancer prevention in the United States. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The recommendations were developed by an expert working group appointed by ASCCP's Board of Directors. This article describes the rationale, evidence, and recommendations related to risk-based colposcopy practice. RESULTS: Women referred to colposcopy have a wide range of underlying precancer risk, which can be estimated by referral screening tests including cytology and human papillomavirus testing, in conjunction with the colposcopic impression. Multiple targeted biopsies, at least 2 and up to 4, are recommended to improve detection of prevalent precancers. At the lowest end of the risk spectrum, untargeted biopsies are not recommended, and women with a completely normal colposcopic impression can be observed. At the highest end of the risk spectrum, immediate treatment is an alternative to biopsy confirmation. CONCLUSIONS: Assessing the risk of cervical precancer at the colposcopy visit allows for modification of colposcopy procedures consistent with a woman's risk. Implementation of these recommendations is expected to lead to improved detection of cervical precancers at colposcopy, while providing more reassurance of negative colposcopy results.

ASCCP Colposcopy Standards: Role of Colposcopy, Benefits, Potential Harms, and Terminology for Colposcopic Practice.

OBJECTIVES: The American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology Colposcopy Standards address the role of and approach to colposcopy and biopsy for cervical cancer prevention in the United States. Working Group 1 was tasked with defining the role of colposcopy, describing benefits and potential harms, and developing an official terminology. METHODS: A systematic literature review was performed. A national survey of American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology members provided input on current terminology use. The 2011 International Federation for Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy terminology was used as a template and modified to fit colposcopic practice in the United States. For areas without data, expert consensus guided the recommendation. Draft recommendations were posted online for public comment and presented at an open session of the 2017 International Federation for Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy World Congress for further comment. All comments were considered for the final version. RESULTS: Colposcopy is used in the evaluation of abnormal or inconclusive cervical cancer screening tests. Colposcopy aids the identification of cervical precancers that can be treated, and it allows for conservative management of abnormalities unlikely to progress. The potential harms of colposcopy include pain, psychological distress, and adverse effects of the procedure. A comprehensive colposcopy examination should include documentation of cervix visibility, squamocolumnar junction visibility, presence of acetowhitening, presence of a lesion(s), lesion(s) visibility, size and location of lesions, vascular changes, other features of lesion(s), and colposcopic impression. Minimum criteria for reporting include squamocolumnar junction visibility, presence of acetowhitening, presence of a lesion(s), and colposcopic impression. CONCLUSIONS: A recommended terminology for use in US colposcopic practice was developed, with comprehensive and minimal criteria for reporting.

ASCCP Colposcopy Standards: Colposcopy Quality Improvement Recommendations for the United States.

OBJECTIVES: The American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) Colposcopy Standards recommendations address the role of and approach to colposcopy and biopsy for cervical cancer prevention in the United States. The recommendations were developed by an expert working group appointed by ASCCP's Board of Directors. The ASCCP Quality Improvement Working Group developed evidence-based guidelines to promote best practices and reduce errors in colposcopy and recommended indicators to measure colposcopy quality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The working group performed a systematic review of existing major society and national guidelines and quality indicators. An initial list of potential quality indicators was developed and refined through successive iterative discussions, and draft quality indicators were proposed. The draft recommendations were then reviewed and commented on by the entire Colposcopy Standards Committee, posted online for public comment, and presented at the International Federation for Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy 2017 World Congress for further comment. All comments were considered, additional adjustments made, and the final recommendations approved by the entire Task Force. RESULTS: Eleven quality indicators were selected spanning documentation, biopsy protocols, and time intervals between index screening tests and completion of diagnostic evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed quality indicators are intended to serve as a starting point for quality improvement in colposcopy at a time when colposcopy volume is decreasing and individual procedures are becoming technically more difficult to perform.

ASCCP Colposcopy Standards: How Do We Perform Colposcopy? Implications for Establishing Standards.

OBJECTIVES: The American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) Colposcopy Standards recommendations address the role of and approach to colposcopy and biopsy for cervical cancer prevention in the United States. The recommendations were developed by an expert working group appointed by ASCCP's Board of Directors. Working group 3 defined colposcopy procedure guidelines for minimum and comprehensive colposcopy practice and evaluated the use of colposcopy adjuncts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The working group performed a systematic literature review to identify best practices in colposcopy methodology and to evaluate the use of available colposcopy adjuncts. The literature provided little evidence to support specific elements of the procedure. The working group, therefore, implemented a national survey of current and recent ASCCP members to evaluate common elements of the colposcopy examination. The findings of this survey were modified by expert consensus from the ASCCP Colposcopy Standards Committee members to create guidelines for performing colposcopy. The draft recommendations were posted online for public comment and presented at an open session of the International Federation for Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy 2017 World Congress for further comment. All comments were considered in the development of final recommendations. RESULTS: Minimum and comprehensive colposcopy practice guidelines were developed. These guidelines represent recommended practice in all parts of the examination including the following: precolposcopy evaluation, performing the procedure, documentation of findings, biopsy practice, and postprocedure follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: These guidelines are intended to serve as a guide to standardize colposcopy across the United States.

Evidence-Based Consensus Recommendations for Colposcopy Practice for Cervical Cancer Prevention in the United States.

The American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) Colposcopy Standards recommendations address the role of colposcopy and directed biopsy for cervical cancer prevention in the United States (US). The recommendations were developed by an expert working group appointed by ASCCP's Board of Directors. An extensive literature review was conducted and supplemented by a systematic review and meta-analysis of unpublished data. In addition, a survey of practicing colposcopists was conducted to assess current colposcopy practice in the US. Recommendations were approved by the working group members, and the final revisions were made based on comments received from the public. The recommendations cover terminology, risk-based colposcopy, colposcopy procedures, and colposcopy adjuncts. The ASCCP Colposcopy Standards recommendations are an important step toward raising the standard of colposcopy services delivered to women in the US. Because cervical cancer screening programs are currently undergoing important changes that may affect colposcopy performance, updates to some of the current recommendations may be necessary in the future.

Cervical Cancer Screening in the United States-Affiliated Pacific Islands: Options and Opportunities.

OBJECTIVE: Successful cervical cancer screening in the United States-Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) is limited by geographic, political, economic, and logistic factors. An expert panel convened to examine screening in each of the 6 island jurisdictions and to explore options beyond cytology-based screening. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-one representatives of American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, government agencies, the World Health Organization, Pan American Health Organization, health representatives of the 6 Pacific island jurisdictions, Puerto Rico, and several academic institutions met in a 2-day meeting to explore options to improve access and coverage of cervical cancer screening in the USAPI. RESULTS: Cytology-based screening is less widely accessed and less successful in the USAPI than in the United States in general. Barriers include geographic isolation, cultural factors, and lack of resources. Cytology-based screening requires multiple visits to complete the process from screening to treatment. Screen-and-treat regimens based on visual inspection with acetic acid or human papillomavirus requiring 1 or 2 visits have the potential to improve cervical cancer prevention in the USAPI. CONCLUSIONS: The standard US algorithm of cytology screening followed by colposcopy and treatment is less effective in geographically and culturally isolated regions such as the USAPI. Alternate technologies, both high tech, such as primary human papillomavirus screening, and low tech, such as visual inspection with acetic acid, have shown promise in resource-poor countries and may have applicability in these US jurisdictions.

American Cancer Society, American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, and American Society for Clinical Pathology screening guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer.

An update to the American Cancer Society (ACS) guideline regarding screening for the early detection of cervical precancerous lesions and cancer is presented. The guidelines are based on a systematic evidence review, contributions from six working groups, and a recent symposium co-sponsored by the ACS, American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP), and American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), which was attended by 25 organizations. The new screening recommendations address age-appropriate screening strategies, including the use of cytology and high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, follow-up (e.g., management of screen positives and screening interval for screen negatives) of women after screening, age at which to exit screening, future considerations regarding HPV testing alone as a primary screening approach, and screening strategies for women vaccinated against HPV16/18 infections.

Infectious titres of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) in patient lesions, methodological considerations in evaluating HPV infectivity and implications for the efficacy of high-level disinfectants.

BACKGROUND: Recent publications from a single research group have suggested that aldehyde-based high-level disinfectants (HLDs), such as ortho-phthalaldehyde (OPA), are not effective at inactivating HPVs and that therefore, patients may be at risk of HPV infection from medical devices. These results could have significant public health consequences and therefore necessitated evaluation of their reproducibility and clinical relevance. METHODS: We developed methods and used standardised controls to: (1) quantify the infectious levels of clinically-sourced HPVs from patient lesions and compare them to laboratory-derived HPVs, (2) evaluate experimental factors that should be controlled to ensure consistent and reproducible infectivity measurements of different HPV genotypes, and (3) determine the efficacy of select HLDs. FINDINGS: A novel focus forming unit (FFU) infectivity assay demonstrated that exfoliates from patient anogenital lesions and respiratory papillomas yielded infectious HPV burdens up to 2.7 × 103 FFU; therefore, using 2.2 × 102 to 1.0 × 104 FFU of laboratory-derived HPVs in disinfection assays provides a relevant range for clinical exposures. RNase and neutralising antibody sensitivities were used to ensure valid infectivity measures of tissue-derived and recombinant HPV preparations. HPV infectivity was demonstrated over a dynamic range of 4-5 log10; and disinfection with OPA and hypochlorite was achieved over 3 to >4 log10 with multiple genotypes of tissue-derived and recombinant HPV isolates. INTERPRETATION: This work, along with a companion publication from an independent lab in this issue, address a major public health question by showing that HPVs are susceptible to HLDs. FUNDING: Advanced Sterilization Products; US NIH (R01CA207368, U19AI084081, P30CA118100).

A 50-Year Commitment to American Indian and Alaska Native Women.

Since 1970, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' Committee on American Indian and Alaska Native Women's Health has partnered with the Indian Health Service and health care facilities serving Native American women to improve quality of care in both rural and urban settings. Needs assessments have included formal surveys, expert panels, consensus conferences, and onsite program reviews. Improved care has been achieved through continuing professional education, recruitment of volunteer obstetrician-gynecologists, advocacy, and close collaboration at the local and national levels. The inclusive and multifaceted approach of this program should provide an effective model for collaborations between specialty societies and health care professionals providing primary care services that can reduce health disparities in underserved populations.

In vivo light scattering for the detection of cancerous and precancerous lesions of the cervix.

A noninvasive optical diagnostic system for detection of cancerous and precancerous lesions of the cervix was evaluated in vivo. The optical system included a fiber-optic probe designed to measure polarized and unpolarized light transport properties of a small volume of tissue. An algorithm for diagnosing tissue based on the optical measurements was developed that used four optical properties, three of which were related to light scattering properties and the fourth of which was related to hemoglobin concentration. A sensitivity of ~77% and specificities in the mid 60% range were obtained for separating high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and cancer from other pathologies and normal tissue. The use of different cross-validation methods in algorithm development is analyzed, and the relative difficulties of diagnosing certain pathologies are assessed. Furthermore, the robustness of the optical system for use by different doctors and to changes in fiber-optic probe are also assessed, and potential improvements in the optical system are discussed.

Detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasias and cancers in cervical tissue by in vivo light scattering.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the utility of in vivo elastic light scattering measurements to identify cervical intraepithelial neoplasias (CIN) 2/3 and cancers in women undergoing colposcopy and to determine the effects of patient characteristics such as menstrual status on the elastic light scattering spectroscopic measurements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A fiber optic probe was used to measure light transport in the cervical epithelium of patients undergoing colposcopy. Spectroscopic results from 151 patients were compared with histopathology of the measured and biopsied sites. A method of classifying the measured sites into two clinically relevant categories was developed and tested using five-fold cross-validation. RESULTS: Statistically significant effects by age at diagnosis, menopausal status, timing of the menstrual cycle, and oral contraceptive use were identified, and adjustments based upon these measurements were incorporated in the classification algorithm. A sensitivity of 77±5% and a specificity of 62±2% were obtained for separating CIN 2/3 and cancer from other pathologies and normal tissue. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of both menstrual status and age should be taken into account in the algorithm for classifying tissue sites based on elastic light scattering spectroscopy. When this is done, elastic light scattering spectroscopy shows good potential for real-time diagnosis of cervical tissue at colposcopy. Guiding biopsy location is one potential near-term clinical application area, while facilitating "see and treat" protocols is a longer term goal. Improvements in accuracy are essential.

Preventing cervical cancer: the Pap test and the HPV vaccine.

Women look to their internists and other primary care physicians to provide preventive health care. Periodic Pap tests are as much a part of a woman's ongoing health care as periodic lipid assessments, mammograms, screening for colon cancer, or any of the other recommended screening assessments. This article provides primary care physicians with the information needed to perform Pap tests at the appropriate intervals, or if not set up to do Pap tests themselves, to make the appropriate referrals. Also provided is the necessary information to counsel women with abnormal Pap tests who may need colposcopy or other follow-up evaluation. Finally, the role of the HPV vaccine in the prevention of cervical cancer is summarized.

Cervical cancer screening in the early post vaccine era.

The Pap test is the foundation of cervical cancer screening in North America and most industrialized countries. It has been widely used in the United States since the 1950s. But are our current screening guidelines still justified? In this article, the author reviews the current recommendations for cervical cancer screening by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the evidence supporting them, reviews the relative efficacy of liquid-based cytology versus the conventional Pap smear, and discusses the role of HPV DNA testing in primary screening.

Cervical cancer prevention: immunization and screening 2015.

Both primary and secondary prevention of cervical cancer are now available. Immunizations against human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 have the potential to prevent 70% of cancers of the cervix plus a large percentage of other lower anogenital tract cancers. Screening guidelines were recently changed to recommend cotesting with cytology plus an HPV test. The addition of HPV testing increases the sensitivity and negative predictive value of screening over the Papanicolaou (Pap) test alone.

Cervical cancer prevention: new guidelines in the United States and new opportunities for low- and middle-income countries.

Developments from late 2011 to early 2013, including consensus conferences and the introduction of low-cost, rapid-turnaround testing of human papillomavirus, will change prevention strategies for cervical cancer in the United States and in low- and middle-income countries.

Revised terminology for cervical histopathology and its implications for management of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions of the cervix.

In March 2012, the College of American Pathologists and American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, in collaboration with 35 stakeholder organizations, convened a consensus conference called the Lower Anogenital Squamous Terminology (LAST) Project. The recommendations of this project include using a uniform, two-tiered terminology to describe the histology of human papillomavirus-associated squamous disease across all anogenital tract tissues: vulva, vagina, cervix, penis, perianus, and anus. The recommended terminology is "low-grade" or "high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL)." This terminology is familiar to clinicians, because it parallels the terminology of the Bethesda System cytologic reports. Biopsy results using SIL terminology may be further qualified using "intraepithelial neoplasia" (IN) terminology in parentheses. Laboratory p16 tissue immunostaining is recommended to better classify histopathology lesions that morphologically would earlier have been diagnosed as IN 2. p16 is also recommended for differentiating between high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and benign mimics. The LAST Project recommendations potentially affect the application of current guidelines for managing cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions. The authors offer interim guidance for managing cervical lesions diagnosed using this new terminology with special attention paid to managing young women with cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions on biopsy. Clinicians should be aware of the LAST Project recommendations, which include important changes from prior terminology.