“With proper screening and follow-up, cervical cancer can be prevented or detected at an early stage, which is linked to a higher chance of survival. Current recommendations call for discontinuing screening in women over the age of 65 with a history of normal Pap and/or HPV tests, which may make adults in this age group vulnerable”wrote scientists from the University of California, Davis, in work published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
71% of older women had advanced cervical cancer
As part of this research, they looked at data from the California Cancer Registry. They identified 12,442 people over the age of 21 who were first diagnosed with cervical cancer between 2009 and 2018. According to their analysis, almost one in five new cervical cancers diagnosed during this period concerned patients aged 65 and over. These women were more likely (71%) to have the disease at an advanced stage than younger women (48%). According to the results, the chances of five-year survival at an advanced stage were lower in older women.
Screening: recommendations “may not satisfy women over 65”
After carrying out this study, the authors questioned the recommendations for elderly patients. “Our results underscore the need to better understand how current screening recommendations may not satisfy women aged 65 and over. We need to determine older women’s screening history as well as gaps in follow-up care. We need to use non-invasive screening methods for women who are approaching the age of 65 or who need to catch up on cervical cancer screening”, said Julianne Cooley, lead author of the work, in a statement.
