Cervical Cancer and Older Women: Tip Sheet

Older women continue to be at risk for developing cervical cancer.
  • Women ages 65 and older account for nearly 25 percent of all cervical cancer cases and 41 percent of cervical cancer deaths in the United States.(1)
  • Women ages 65 and older have a cervical cancer incidence rate of 16.8 per 100,000, compared to 7.4 for women younger than 65.2 The incidence rate is the number of newly diagnosed cancers per 100,000 population during a specific period of time (usually one year).
  • Women ages 65 and older have a cervical cancer mortality rate of 9.3 per 100,000, compared to 2.2 for women younger than 65. The mortality rate is the number of deaths due to a certain type of cancer per 100,000 population during a specific period of time (usually one year).
  • More than one-half (51%) of all women ages 65 and older have not had a Pap test in the past 3 years.(3)
  • Many older women experience barriers to regular Pap test screening, which include: lack of knowledge about testing frequency; anxiety that the test might be painful or embarrassing; underestimation of personal risk for cervical cancer; fear of test results; language and cultural barriers;(4) and cost.(5)
Older women representing minority populations are at particular risk for developing cervical cancer.
  • The incidence rate and the mortality rate of cervical cancer for African American women ages 65 and older are more than two times greater than those for white women of the same age group (34.4 and 23.3 per 100,000 women, respectively, compared to 14.7 and 8.0 for white women).(2)
  • Hispanic women ages 65 and older also have a higher incidence rate and mortality rate of cervical cancer than do white women (27.6 and 11.6 per 100,000 women, respectively).(2)
Women can take steps to help prevent cervical cancer.
  • Every woman who is 18 or older, or is sexually active, should get regular Pap tests and pelvic exams. Older women continue to be at risk for cervical cancer and should continue to have Pap tests at least once every three years.
  • The Pap test is the most effective screening procedure for detecting abnormal changes in the cervix, including precancerous conditions. If an abnormality is detected, it is important to get any needed follow up tests and/or treatment. Appropriate treatment of precancerous conditions prevents the development of cervical cancer.
  • Recent advances in Pap test technology are under evaluation and may improve the test’s sensitivity.
Older and medically underserved women can get free or low-cost Pap tests.
  • Older women should have a Pap test at least once every three years.
  • As of January 1998, Medicare covers Pap tests once every 3 years for all Medicare beneficiaries. For more information about Medicare coverage for cervical cancer screening examinations, please call the Medicare toll-free hotline at 1-800-638-6833.
  • Women and health care providers can call the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service (CIS) at 1-800-4-CANCER to find out the latest, most accurate information about cervical cancer and cervical cancer screening. The CIS also provides referrals for free and low-cost cervical cancer screening through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (BCCEDP), which targets medically underserved, low-income women, particularly members of racial and ethnic minorities.
Cervical cancer remains a major public health concern.
  • Worldwide, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women; in many developing countries, it is the number one killer of women.(1)
  • For women of all ages in the United States, the incidence rate of cervical cancer is 8.3 per 100,000 women and the mortality rate is 2.9 per 100,000 women.(2) The highest incidence rate occurs among Vietnamese women (43 per 100,000 women), many of whom are recent immigrants to the U.S. and have not benefited from cervical cancer screening. Incidence rates of 15 per 100,000 women or higher also occur among Alaska Native, Korean, and Hispanic women.(6) The lowest incidence rate is 5.8 per 100,000 among Japanese women.
  • It is estimated that approximately 13,700 women in the United States will develop invasive cervical cancer, and 4,900 women will die from this disease in 1998.(7)
  • One-half of the women with newly diagnosed invasive cervical cancer have never had a Pap test, and another 10 percent have not had a Pap test in the past 5 years.(1)
NOTES

 

1. NIH Consensus Panel. NIH Consensus Conference: Cervical Cancer, Vol. 14, No. 1, 1996.

 

2. National Cancer Institute Cancer Statistics Branch, Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data, 1990-1994.

 

3. Breen, N. Report for Pap screenings within 0-36 months, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Health Interview Survey, 1992 data. February 18, 1997.

 

4. Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening: Barriers and Use Among Specific Population, AMC Cancer Research Center, Supplement 3, January 1995.

 

5. Healthstyles©, 1997.

 

6. Racial/Ethnic Patterns of Cancer in the United States 1988-1992, National Cancer Institute.

 

7. Cancer Facts and Figures: 1997. American Cancer Society.

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