Declining Rate in Cervical Cancer Screenings Cited as Patient 'Lack of Knowledge'

A new study digs into the reasons why women are not having regular cervical cancer screenings.

January is cervical cancer awareness month, and new data shows there is a declining rate of cervical cancer screenings among women.

While it's recommended that women get screened for cervical cancer every 3–5 years according to age, risk, and type of testing done, a study by the JAMA Network Open surveyed 20,557 women (aged 21–65) across sociodemographic groups who were eligible for cervical cancer screening, and found that the proportion of women overdue for a screening had gone up from 14.4% in 2005 to 23% in 2019.

Findings also showed "substantial variation in cervical cancer screening rates" by ethnicity, LGBQ+ identifying women, women living in rural areas, and uninsured women.

The study authors surveyed the women about reasons why they were not getting screened and found that the biggest barrier across sociodemographic groups cited was "lack of knowledge" about screening being needed.

The authors recommended that "campaigns addressing patient knowledge and practitioner communication may help to improve cervical screening rates, and cultural adaption of interventions is needed to reduce existing disparities."

Dr. Maurie Markman, a medical oncologist and president of medicine and science at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, called the results of the study a "catastrophe," emphasizing the importance of getting screened regularly, as well as the importance of both men and women getting vaccinated for human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cancer in the cervix as well as in the head and throat.

"We have the potential of coming as close to eliminating a cancer as one can come to," Markman said, referring to cervical cancer. He explained that cervical cancer, among others, is caused by persistent HPV infection, which is sexually transmitted.

It's recommended that individuals get vaccinated for HPV when they're children; however, because it's a sexually transmitted disease, Markman said people weren't as open to having a conversation about how it affects women and men when the vaccine was first introduced to the market.

"The mistake was saying that [getting the vaccine was meant] to prevent a sexually transmitted disease," Markman explained. "What should have been done is saying that this is simply a cancer-preventing vaccine."

While the vaccine was initially advertised with emphasis on young girls and preventing cervical cancer, Markman adds that vaccinating young boys can also protect them if they're ever exposed to HPV and lower the risk of transferring it to someone else in the future.