Are women and people with a cervix who have previously been treated for cell changes but are now back on routine recall safe to wait 5 years for their next screening test?

Once the treatment pathway has been completed and a person has been returned to routine recall with a HPV negative (HPV not found) result, they are then at very low risk of developing cervical cancer over the next 5 years.  

HPV causes over 99.8% of cervical cancers and the progression from HPV infection to the development of cervical cancer takes a very long time (in the region of 10 to 15 years). Therefore, if an individual does not have HPV at the time of their cervical screening (smear) test, their risk of developing cervical cancer before their next screening test is very low. 

We encourage everyone to attend for cervical screening when they are invited. If an individual does develop any worrying symptoms in the interim such as unusual vaginal discharge, bleeding during sex, between periods or following the menopause then it is important that they see their GP.