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A new report found millions of American women are not getting their recommended cervical cancer screening that could save their lives.
The CDC said of those who have skipped screenings in the past five years, 1 in 4 women do not have health insurance.
A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that eight million American women have not had a cervical cancer screening within the last five years.
“Over half of the cervical cancer cases have been shown in women who have never or rarely been screened,” said Dr. Vicki Benard, CDC.
The report found that one in four of the women who have skipped screening in the past five years does not have health insurance.
Although the schedule can be altered to fit a woman’s health history, guidelines generally recommend all adult women under age 65 have a PAP test to screen for cervical cancer every three years.
“We’ve seen over 12,000 women develop cervical cancer over this last year, and 4,000 women die. These are women that don’t need to die from a preventable cancer,” said Dr. Benard.
Human papillomavirus is a known cause of many cervical cancers, and the HPV vaccine is recommended for pre-teens. Just a third of girls received the vaccine last year.
Experts estimate the combination of HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening may prevent up to 93 percent of cervical cancers.
Agencies/Canadajournal
