Cervical Cancer Screening: What’s New
By Breanne Lott, PhD
and Wendy K. Leung, MD, MPH
Bronx Voice
January 20, 2026
BRONX, NY - The fourth most common cancer in women worldwide is also one of the most preventable: cervical cancer.
In New York City, rates of cervical cancer in the Bronx are 50% higher than in Manhattan, and cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates are higher than the state and city rates, respectively. Fortunately, there are two highly effective ways to prevent cervical cancer. Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) —the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide that causes more than 90% of cervical cancer— and getting screened on a regular basis could help address this health inequality.
Routine cervical cancer screening is essential because most women with HPV and unhealthy cell changes have no symptoms, but can be detected through testing, allowing providers to identify and treat pre-cancerous lesions in their early stages. When caught early, the unhealthy area of the cervix can be removed, leaving the rest of the cervix intact.
Here is what our community should know about today’s screening options, including a new self-collection test that may soon be available to you.
Self-Collection HPV Test and Local Screening Info
Advances in cervical cancer prevention have led to new screening approaches and changes to recommendations that call for screening every three to five years instead of annually.
Pap smears were the standard screening test for decades, where a microscope is used to look at a sample of cervical cells collected during a pelvic exam in the doctor’s office. In the late 2010’s and early 2020’s, there was a shift to using an HPV test to identify people with infection with high-risk strains of the virus who are most at risk of developing cancer, but with the sample still collected by a provider during a pelvic exam.
In a major recent update, there are new options for women of average risk who are 30 to 65 years-old to self-collect samples. Similar to the nasal self-swabbing we all became familiar with during the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals can be instructed how to swab their own vagina in a private setting. Self-collection was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in medical settings in 2024, followed by approval of an at-home self-collection device, with more approved devices anticipated soon. Updated Health Resources and Service Administration guidelines, approved in December 2025, also require insurance companies to cover self-collection testing by 2027. If a self-collected test is positive, follow-up testing with a provider is still required. Ask your provider what your options are.
Because of recent scientific advances, the screening tests now used are needed less frequently than in the past, depending on your age and certain health factors:
- Ages 21–29: Pap test every three years
- Ages 30–65: Screening every three to five years with an HPV test, Pap test, or both
- Over age 65: Talk with your provider about whether continued screening is needed
More frequent screening: Those living with HIV, weakened immune systems, recent abnormal results, or anyone with a history of cervical cancer.
At Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC), as part of our commitment to our community, we conduct research to better understand barriers our patients experience to implement effective initiatives, expanding access to lifesaving screening. In a recent survey, patients reported lack of time (20%), feeling embarrassed or uncomfortable (11%), lack of provider recommendation or encouragement to get screened (11%), and lack of knowledge (10%) as barriers to cervical cancer screening. For this reason, MECCC offers community screening and educational events, weekend appointments, and transportation assistance through our Shuttles2Screening program.
Schedule your cancer screening test not only for yourself, but also for those you love. In this spirit of love, Saturday, February 7, MECCC will host a free Valentine’s Day–themed screening event for breast, cervical, and prostate cancer—for couples or individuals. To learn more or register, call 718-430-3613 or visit https://bit.ly/MECCCpap.
Co-Authored By: Breanne Lott, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Social Behavioral Science, Division of Health Behavior & Implementation Science, Department of Epidemiology & Population Health, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Wendy K. Leung, MD, MPH, assistant professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health (Family Planning), Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Acknowledgements: Montefiore Einstein has received funding from American Cancer Society (ACS) to increase cervical cancer screening in the Bronx. We thank ACS and our partners in MECCC, Department of OB/GYN & Women’s Health, and the Bronx Oncology Living Daily (BOLD) Program.
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