Introduction
Leading professional organizations recommend cervical cancer screening for average-risk
women aged 21–65 years. For average-risk women aged >65 years, routine screening may
be discontinued if “adequate” screening with negative results is documented. Screening
is recommended after age 65 years for women who do not meet adequate prior screening
criteria or are at special risk.
Methods
Authors examined the most recent cervical cancer incidence data from two federal cancer
surveillance programs for all women by age and race, corrected for hysterectomy status.
The 2013 and 2015 National Health Interview Surveys were analyzed in 2016 to examine
the proportion of women aged 41–70 years without a hysterectomy who reported that
they never had a Pap test or that their most recent Pap test was >5 years ago (not
recently screened).
Results
The incidence rate for cervical cancer among older women, corrected for hysterectomy
status, did not decline until age ≥85 years. The proportion not recently screened
increased with age, from 12.1% for women aged 41–45 years to 18.4% for women aged
61–65 years.
Conclusions
Even among women within the recommended age range for routine screening, many are
not up to date, and a substantial number of women approach the “stopping” age for
cervical cancer screening without an adequate prior screening history. Efforts are
needed to reach women who have not been adequately screened, including women aged
>65 years, to prevent invasive cervical cancer cases and deaths among older women.
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: May 01, 2017
Identification
Copyright
Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Journal of Preventive Medicine
