Mednet Logo

Do you perform pap smears as part of the surveillance of patients with a history of cervical or vaginal cancers who had radiation as part of their treatment?

Community PollStarted

Do you perform pap smears as part of your surveillance of patients who have been treated for cervical cancer with radiation?

79 physicians have voted

Join Mednetto vote and see how they answered.

3 Answers
Mednet Member
Mednet MemberInvited Expert
Gynecologic Oncology · The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Answered on

I personally do not routinely perform pap testing for patients with a prior history of cervical or vaginal cancer who have had prior radiation. The main driver for me in this decision is that the results we receive from Pap testing often show abnormalities that are not reflective of recurrence or de...

Join for free or sign in to see the full answer

Mednet Member
Mednet MemberInvited Expert
Radiation Oncology · Allegheny Health Network
Answered on

Cytology will almost always be abnormal after radiation.

HPV testing in HPV+ disease, however, can help prognosticate, as persistence has a higher association with recurrence or a new gynecologic primary.

Join for free or sign in to see the full answer

Mednet Member
Mednet MemberInvited Expert
Gynecologic Oncology · BayCare Medical Group
Answered on

No. Local recurrence will be diagnosed by visual inspection and biopsy. This is not a screening test that will almost always come back abnormal.

Join for free or sign in to see the full answer