Dr Neff on the Importance of Advocacy for Improving Screening Uptake in Cervical Cancer

“Advocacy is a huge part of what…we as oncologists, especially those of us who treat [patients with] these types of cancers, need to do. [We need to] be out there and talking about…the improvement in testing available, and how that can…better identify patients at risk for these types of cancers and prevent them from happening. [That]…is the ultimate goal of the screening test: to prevent cancer and find…early precancer lesions.”

Robert Neff, MD, physician and associate professor of gynecologic oncology at the Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center—James, highlights the role of oncology-led advocacy in improving screening uptake and expanding access to evolving screening technologies for cancers with identifiable precancerous lesions.

Neff emphasized that screening remains one of the most effective strategies for cancer prevention, particularly when tests can identify early-stage malignancies or premalignant lesions before progression to invasive disease. He noted that ongoing improvements in screening modalities and testing availability have enhanced the ability to identify patients at increased risk for cancer development, aligning screening efforts with the goal of prevention.

Neff explained that advocacy is particularly important in oncology, although it can be challenging to operationalize given the variability in how practices interface with screening. Many oncology practices, he noted, see patients after an abnormal screen or after treatment for precancerous lesions, rather than serving as the point of entry for routine screening. However, oncology specialists still hold an important leadership role in influencing screening infrastructure within health care systems, he stressed.

According to Neff, advocacy should extend beyond individual patient encounters and include engagement with administrators and multidisciplinary clinical teams to support adoption of validated screening tests across institutions. This includes promoting system-level availability of newer testing strategies, as well as supporting workflows that facilitate appropriate screening access for eligible populations. He suggested that oncology professionals can play a meaningful role in helping systems determine how best to incorporate newer screening tests into standard practice, which may ultimately improve uptake and reduce disparities in preventive care.

Neff’s comments align with broader national efforts to increase access to evidence-based screening programs. The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) continues to recommend cervical cancer screening with cytology every 3 years for women aged 21 to 29 years; for average-risk women aged 30 to 65 years, physician or self-collected high-risk HPV (hrHPV) testing is the preferred screening modality. Neff concluded that consistent advocacy can expand access to effective screening tools and improve early detection and prevention strategies for the patients served.