The annual Pap smear may soon be a thing of the past, since new guidelines issued Wednesday say that most women need the cervical-cancer screening only once every three years. In its first update since 2003, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) said a yearly Pap smear isn’t necessary for women aged 21 to 65, and that women younger than 21 don’t need the test at all because evidence indicates screening doesn’t lower cervical-cancer rates or deaths in this youngest group.
