AMA Warns Women Not To Get Complacent About Cervical Screening, Australia

What is the AMA's agenda?

What is the agenda of the AMA?

They must be aware that women under 30 don't benefit from pap tests, but are exposed to high risks if they test...see:

"Cervical cancer screening" in "Australian Doctor" 2006 by Assoc Prof Margaret Davy, Director, Gyn-oncology, Royal Adelaide Hospital and Dr Shorne, GP. (on line) - "No country in the world has reported a decline in the incidence of or the mortality from cervical cancer in women under 30, irrespective of cervical screening. Many countries do not perform cervical screening in women under 30".

Dr Angela Raffle, UK screening expert, tells us young women produce very large numbers of false positives (1 in 3) and are caused needless worry and are often referred for potentially harmful biopsies or treatments like LEEP. Even with the reduced guidelines for referral women are either left worried sick after a false positive for months or a year or insist on immediate referral. It's unethical to screen young women.

Of course, the dishonest scare campaigns that have always been used to pressure women to screen haven't helped - the program has been paternalistic and unethical from the start - it's astonishing that undisclosed financial incentives are even paid to our doctors to reach screening targets putting them a potential conflict of interest situation.

Our program has always over-screened and screened inappropriately harming even more women with this unreliable test...so much damage, fear and stress over a rare cancer that carries a lifetime risk of 0.65% (and was always rare and in decline before screening started AND the test was never properly assessed before its release)

Of course, women under 30 (and others) have been greatly harmed and distressed by this program and the misinformation and scare tactics continue even though these women will hopefully be excluded from the program shortly, when the Govt FINALLY raises the start age to 25 and moves to 3 yearly testing - this program has been out-of-step with the evidence for many years.

The new schedule is still too early and too often - 65% will still face referral for a very small risk.
Finland's program of 5 yearly from age 30 - 5 to 7 test in total has produced the lowest rates of cc in the world and just as importantly refers fewer women (still high at 35%-55%) It seems our Govt and doctors have a cavalier disregard for our bodily privacy and autonomy.

Didn't men get PSA testing quickly after they rejected rectal exams? (although it's unreliable as well) There is a blood test for cervical cancer as well - the CSA test patented in the States in 2003, and more reliable than the pap test, but apparently it has been blocked by vested interests - the pap test creates a huge amount of income for pathologists, doctors, specialists, day procedure centres etc

As a low risk woman, I made an informed decision more than 25 years ago not to participate in cervical screening and more recently rejected mammograms, but it's shameful the dishonesty and lack of ethics that still exists in women's cancer screening.

Thankfully, more women are becoming aware, getting to the truth and making informed decisions to stop screening, not to start screening or to adopt a schedule that is best for their level of risk.

Men got risk information very quickly for prostate cancer screening and the legal and ethical requirement of informed consent is taken seriously - now that cancer is common, yet women are treated like a herd of ignorant cattle for a rare cancer.

Nothing could justify the fear, stress, pain, humiliation and damage this program causes to the more than 99% who'll never benefit from it, but carry the burden to help fewer than half of 1% of women (0.45%) and all with no informed consent and of cause the 77% who will be referred - almost all these biopsies and treatments are unnecessary and caused by false positives. These treatments especially LEEP and cone biopsies can damage the cervix and lead to cervical incompetence (premature babies, miscarriages) and cervical stenosis (infections, surgery, endometriosis, infertility) and psych issues. Over the years I've seen so many women harmed by this testing and none received honest information about the test - even today Papscreen do not mention false positives in their brochure which 77% of Aussie women face with this testing - that is totally unacceptable.

It's time for the Govt and doctors to take a hard look at their attitudes and conduct...what was the motto? First do no harm.

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