Jin - Figure 10 - When to initiate Co-Testing
Dr. Monk also showed you this slide, which highlights the clinical value of HPV testing. Now the question becomes: when is the best time to introduce HPV testing as a part of the screening regimen?
Here you see the prevalence of HPV versus the incidence of cervical cancer by age. HPV prevalence declines after reaching age 30. In contrast, cervical cancer incidence increases after age of 30. Therefore, it is very logical to introduce co-testing (i.e., cytology plus HPV testing) at age 30.