Low Cervical Cancer Screening Rates in the U.S.

More lives could be saved if more women had a screening for cervical cancer, according to a recent study.

The study by researchers at the Mayo Clinic and published in the Journal of Women’s Health, found that the number of women in the United States who are getting the recommended screenings for cervical cancer is "unacceptably low”. According to the study, more than half of U.S. women aged 21 to 29 and less than two-thirds of women aged 30 to 65 were up-to-date with cervical cancer screenings in 2016. The study analyzed data gathered from more than 47,000 women in Minnesota from 2005 to 2016.

“The results of this study are alarming, said Leigh Solomon, M.D., a gynecologic oncologist at Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit. “There is clearly a need to enhance efforts to increase cervical cancer awareness and screening rates. Recommendations made by the study’s authors to offer after hours and weekend screenings, offering screenings at urgent care clinics, and providing at-home testing kits for the human papillomavirus, the cause of many cervical cancers, would be a crucial step forward.”

According the study’s authors, racial differences play a critical role in cervical cancer screening rates. They report that African-American women were 50 percent less likely to be up-to-date on cervical cancer screening than white women, while Asian women were nearly 30 percent less likely than white women to be current on screening.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that women age 21-29 have a Pap test every 3 years (HPV screening is not recommended) and women age 30-65 should have a Pap and HPV test (co-test) every 5 years. Women who have had a hysterectomy and those over age 65 may still need screening and should discuss this with their physician. Women at higher risk for precancerous lesions and cervical cancer (such as those with a history of cervix cancer, DES in utero exposure and immune suppression) should have more frequent screening.

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 13,000 new cases of invasive cervical cancer were diagnosed in the United States in 2018. By increasing awareness of the recommended screening tests by both providers and women, identifying higher-risk patients and improving accessibility, more women could benefit from early detection and preventative measures.

For more information about screenings for cervical cancer, contact an Ascension hospital in Southeast Michigan at 866-501-3627.