Moving right along, we come to the Over Used Test of the Day: pap smears. The New York Times and many other newspapers report that the newest advice from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says women 30 and older who have three consecutive
Pap tests that were normal, and who have no history of seriously
abnormal findings, can stretch the interval between screenings to three
years. The change of mind, like that for breast cancer and prostate cancer, is intended to decrease unnecessary testing and harmful treatments. The Times quotes the chairwoman of a panel that developed the new guidelines saying that the argument for changing Pap screening was more compelling than that
for cutting back on mammography, because young women are especially
prone to develop abnormalities in the cervix that appear to be
precancerous, but that will go away if left alone.
Read more in the New York Times.