[Screening for carcinoma of the cervix today]

A revision of the more recent literature has been made in the order to establish which are, actually, the "gold standard" procedures in the planning out and the management of screening programs for cervical cancer. The problem of the false negatives responses, which make necessary the adoption of adequate reporting systems and quality control programs, is relevant. A centralized and "organized" screening policy, involving most of the female population, is also mandatory, keeping in the mind the amount of work for the public health services. The ultimate goal is to assure a "cover" percentage higher than the actual levels, reaching an acceptable balance in terms of cost-efficiency.