When Should Women Resume Normal Screening After High-Grade CIN?

About 15% of women who undergo ablation or excision for grade 2 or 3 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) develop recurrent or residual high-grade CIN, usually within 2 years of treatment. Hence, appropriate follow-up of these patients is critical. Researchers followed 435 women (median age, 33; range, 21–70) in the Netherlands who were treated with loop electrode excision procedures (82%) or conization (18%) for grade 2 or 3 CIN between 1988 and 2004. All underwent cytology and high-risk human papilloma virus (hrHPV) testing at 6, 12, and 24 months, with subsequent cytology screens every 5 years. The primary outcome was cumulative risk for posttreatment CIN grade ≥2 as of December 2009.

Posttreatment CIN grade ≥2 was diagnosed in 76 wom…