Cervical Screening Programme
Department of Health
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
[Home] [Graphical Version] [繁體中文] [簡体中文] [Site Map] [Search]
No, encouraging women to register with the CSIS will not lead to
client loss. When a woman registers with CSIS, no cervical cancer
screening appointment will be arranged for her automatically by
the system. She needs to arrange with her own healthcare provider.
When she is due or overdue for next smear, CSIS will send reminder
letters to remind her of that smear. If her original healthcare
professional has provided CSIS with recommendation on next smear,
his/her clinic name and clinic phone number together with the recommended
date will be shown on the reminder letter to facilitate booking
appointment with her original healthcare professional. Healthcare providers can provide current test result and recommendation
on next smear through the CSIS (www.csis.gov.hk)
or by fax (2833 5445). Healthcare providers who have registered
and provided test result data to the CSIS will receive a Certificate
of Participation issued by the Department of Health and have their
clinic information displayed in the List
of Service Providers section of this website. Registration with the CSIS does not mean that the system will arrange
a cervical smear test for you. You have to make an appointment with
your healthcare provider by yourself. The 'List of Service Provider'
section of this website provides a list of service providers who
have registered with the CSIS. Users can search for a provider by
location using the map or entering the selection criteria such as
name, location or organization. Contact information of a chosen
service provider such as address, phone number and map location
will be displayed. You can then contact the service provider to
make an appointment. Currently, there is no online appointment system
available on this website. The charge for a cervical smear is quite variable among different
service providers. It can range from about HK$100 to HK$1000, depending
on factors such as whether it is a standalone test or part
of a health check package, type of cervical smear (conventional
smear or liquid-based cytology) and who perform the test. I have received the "Approval of Registration with the
Cervical Screening Information System"letter. How can I view
my test result online? If you want to view you smear records online that have already
been provided by your service provider, then you need to activate
your account first. The followings are the steps of account activation: Go to the CSIS website www.csis.gov.hk Choose Account Activation from the menu on the left. Enter the required information including HKID / passport no.,
date of birth, activation code, user type (please choose
"General Public" your choice of login name and password.
Please note that the activation code must be in block letters;
your login name and password must be alphabets or alphanumeric
combination of at least 6-character long. Meanwhile, login name
and password must not be the same. Your login name cannot be
changed once chosen but you may change your password later.
After completing the form, press Submit. After successful submission, press User Login to return to
the front page. Enter your login name and password to log in
CSIS. It is a controversial issue with conflicting results from different
studies. A recent system review (a type of study to review all relevant
literatures in an attempt to draw a conclusion) published in Lancet
in April 2003 reviewed 28 studies, including 12531 women with cervical
cancer. Compared with never users of oral contraceptives, the relative
risks of cervical cancer increased with increasing duration of use,
with the following relative risks: From this study, long duration use of hormonal contraceptive is
associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer. You should
discuss with your doctor on choosing the appropriate method of contraception. An organized screening programme for regular cervical smears has
been proven to be effective in preventing cervical cancer amongst
the target population. Cervical smears detect precursor lesions
so that timely treatment can be given to stop the progression to
cancers. Screening every three years can reduce the chance of developing
cervical cancers by 90%. The natural history of breast cancer is different and mammography
screening is used to detect breast cancers. Overseas studies showed
that mammography screening reduced breast cancer mortality among
women aged 50 years or more. Due to the relatively low prevalence
of breast cancer in Hong Kong, many women need to be screened for
each breast cancer case detected, therefore population mammography
screening is not recommended. And it has been recommended and supported by the Working Group
on Cancer Prevention and Screening in Hong Kong (the Working Group). There is evidence to demonstrate that BSE cannot reduce mortality
from breast cancer and may cause harm through unnecessary medical
interventions. There is insufficient evidence regarding the effectiveness
of CBE alone or in combination with mammography in reducing
mortality of breast cancer. Although screening by mammography has been found to reduce
mortality from breast cancer in Western population, evidence
is lacking over the usefulness of mammography screening in Asian
or Chinese populations. Adverse effects of mammography include physical harm and anxiety
of unnecessary breast biopsies as a result of false positive
screening results. In conclusion, there is currently insufficient evidence in Hong
Kong to recommend CBE or routine mammography screening to asymptomatic
women in the population. For details of recommendations, please
click the following link.
I am a healthcare provider. If I encourage women to register
with Cervical Screening Information System (CSIS), will it lead to
diversion of my clients to other cervical cancer screening providers,
for example Maternal & Child Health Centre of the government?
I have registered with the Cervical Screening Information System
(CSIS). Does it mean that an appointment for cervical smear will be
made for me?
How much does a cervical smear cost?
For Maternal
& Child Health Centres of the Department of Health, the
current fee for cervical screening service is HK$100 for eligible
HKID card holder; or HK$205 for non-eligible persons. This fee only
includes one cervical smear test performed by nurse.
Is cervical cancer screening reliable?
It is quite reliable which can detect early cell changes
and hence prevent about 90% of cervical cancer if done regularly.
All cervical smears are examined in the laboratory by trained cytologists
(doctors specialized in cellular medicine) under microscope. Some
laboratories are even equipped with sophisticated computerized assisted
microscope to help identifying abnormal cells. However, no test is
perfect. Sometimes, abnormal cell change may be missed by a single
cervical smear but it can be compensated by having regular smears
as the abnormal cell changes may be detected at the next smear.
Does virgin need cervical cancer screening?
The chance of a woman who has never had sex developing
cervical cancer is very small, therefore a virgin generally does not
need cervical smears taken. Discuss with your family doctor if you
think you need cervical cancer screening. Remember to have regular
screening if you are 25-64 years old and you have had sex in the past.
Is self-test for HPV-DNA accurate?
HPV-DNA test alone is not an accurate screening test
for cervical cancer as not all HPV infections are associated with
cervical cancer nor do all cervical cancers are preceded by HPV infection.
Do hormonal contraceptive increase the risk of cervical cancer?
Duration of use
of oral contraceptives
<5 years
5-9 years
>=10years
All women
1.1
1.6
2.2
HPV positive women
0.9
1.3
2.5
Does cervical cancer runs in family?
There is no strong familial tendency for cervical cancer.
Could abnormal cell changes or cancer occur during the interval
between 2 screening tests?
It is possible that these so-called interval cancer or
rapidly-progressive cancer occurs before your next routine cervical
smear is due. Studies showed that there are no particular risk factors
to predict who may develop these cancers. Some of them occur in women
not having regular smears and some caused by missed abnormal cell
changes in previous smear. It is therefore important to attend for
regular screening. Moreover, even if your recent smear is normal,
consult a doctor if you develop any vaginal symptoms.
If I am pregnant, may I have cervical cancer screening?
Yes, you may still have cervical cancer screening, but
don't forget to inform your service provider.
Do women with more risk factors need more frequent screening?
No. Women with more risk factors have higher chance of
having cervical cancer, but it does not necessarily mean the rate
of cancer development is faster. Therefore, 3 yearly screening after
two consecutive negative yearly smears applies to them as well.
Can cervical smear detect cervical cancer?
The purpose of cervical smear is to detect early cell
changes in the cervix, but it may also pick up cancer cells. If the
appearance of the cervix is very suggestive of cervical cancer, your
doctor may refer you to have a biopsy directly.
Breast cancer is more common than cervical cancer, why didn't
the Government develop a breast cancer screening programme?
Tests used for breast cancer screening includes Breast self examination
(BSE), Clinical breast examination (CBE) and Mammography. According
to the Report
of Cancer Expert Working Group on Cancer Prevention and Screening
by the Working Group:
Back
to Top
Previous