Women who have the HPV vaccine may need only one smear test to help prevent cervical cancer in their lifetime, according to a leading scientist.
In the UK, women undergo screening every three to five years.
Prof. Peter Sasieni said the vaccine was leading to such dramatic reductions in cancer that the screening programme would need to change soon.
Cancer Research UK urged people to still come for screenings when invited.
Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are caused by human papillomaviruses, known as HPV. They can damage DNA and start to transform healthy cells into cancerous ones if there is a prolonged infection.
There are more than 100 types of human papillomavirus, and they are so common that most people will get an infection at some point in their lives.
So the NHS invites women and people with a cervix for regular screening. Swabs of the cervix are used to check for signs of abnormalities using a microscope (the traditional smear test) or, more recently, to test for the virus itself.