Pap protocol post CAH

My cousin and I have both had CAH. She gets yearly pap tests. She had her hysterectomy 21 years ago and has lived all over the U.S. and in India so has consulted many different doctors. Cleveland Clinic protocol is no pap test or internal for me. I had my hysterectomy 7+ years ago. We are both on HRT patches.
I was just wondering what everyone's doctors are advising. Thanks,
Kellie

Kellie!

Until someone with actual CAH comes along . . .

My understanding is to continue annual exams following a hysterectomy if the hysterectomy was performed due to cancer. This area is the most likely place for a possible recurrence, so it would make sense for continued observation. I can see where CAH could fall into a bit of a gray area allowing different docs to choose different protocols (Cleveland Clinic notwithstanding).

Talk to your doctor and ask his/her opinion. If you're still not comfortable, you can always get a second opinion (never hurts!).


monami

Neither one of us had cancer. The cervix is not there. What is there to test?
Thanks for your response.
Kellie

For those of us that had cancer, they check the vaginal area and also the area closest to where the cervix was. If cancer recurs, it is often in this area.
You might find more info in the post hysterectomy forum. You are posting on a cancer forum for hysterectomy women.
What exactly is a CAH? New term for me.

Neither one of us had cancer. The cervix is not there. What is there to test?
Thanks for your response.

I had a hyster due to cancer and I asked my gyn/onc the same thing. He told me the first place cancerous can show up following a hyster for cancer is the vagina. So they don't scrape the cervix,(it's gone) but swab the vaginal area looking for abnormal cells.

I think CAH (complex atypical hyperplasia) falls into the "pre-cancerous" continuum, so it would be a gray area. If you hadn't been treated, the CAH could have developed into cancer. Most cervical cancers are squamous cell (surface) which demonstrate abnormalities that thankfully can be caught early and treated (like CAH) prior to further developing into cancer. (Conversely, adenocarcinomas are harder to catch due to their location in glandular cells and have usually progressed past the pre-cancer stage at diagnosis.)

Some docs may err on the side of caution and continue exams for pre-cancerous issues (based on your personal history, etc.) while others may feel based on their experience, it isn't necessary.