The need for Pap tests after hysterectomy for benign disease

The questions of whether a Pap test should be done in patients who have undergone hysterectomy for benign uterine disease and, if so, how often were addressed by reviewing the records of 3,008 black women seen in a cancer screening clinic. No vaginal carcinoma was found in the posthysterectomy patients or in the control group with the uterus in place. The absence of carcinoma in the posthysterectomy group suggests that although an annual physical examination is indicated, the time interval between performance of the Pap test may be lengthened.