Doctor states routine Pap smear remains important even after HPV vaccination for women

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Early detection measures for cervical cancer, such as the Pap smear, remain essential for women even after they have received vaccination to prevent exposure to Human Papillomavirus (HPV).

This was stated by obstetrics and gynaecology specialist Dr Darrell Fernando, Sp.OG, SubspFER, MRCOG, MM, MARS, who explained that early detection of cervical cancer and HPV vaccination must proceed hand in hand to prevent the disease, particularly among women of reproductive age who are sexually active.

“Even after vaccination, must one still do a Pap smear? The answer is yes, both must go together,” said Dr Darrell during the Ivaxcon 2026 discussion event in Jakarta on Saturday.

According to Dr Darrell, with routine early detection, if problems or viral exposure are found, many pre-cancerous conditions can be prevented and even cured.

“In fact, if something is detected in a pre-cancerous state through early detection, the cure rate is still nearly 100 per cent. Compared to waiting for symptoms, by which time an examination often reveals cancer at stage 2,” he said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that Pap smears as an early detection step for cervical cancer be conducted routinely every three years until the age of 65.

This is because HPV infections, especially those leading to cervical cancer, are asymptomatic or without symptoms.

Therefore, without early detection, many HPV infections have already progressed to severe conditions or even advanced-stage cancer.

Data from the Ministry of Health records a very high burden of cervical cancer cases in Indonesia, with around 36,633 new cases each year and 21,003 deaths. This means that nearly 50 to 60 per cent of patients lose their lives due to late detection.

To achieve the target of eliminating cervical cancer by 2030, the Ministry of Health is strengthening the early detection system through several strategic steps, one of which is cancer screening in the Free Health Check (CKG) programme.

At the beginning of 2026, the Ministry of Health stated that integrating cervical cancer screening into CKG is an effort to accelerate early detection and reduce delays in cervical cancer treatment.

Cervical cancer screening in CKG will be accompanied by clear follow-up for positive screening results.