Cervical Cancer Screening Rates 'Distressingly' Low
Cervical Cancer Screening Rates 'Distressingly' Low
Hello. I am Dr Maurie Markman from Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Philadelphia. I want to briefly discuss a recent report from the CDC regarding screening for cervical cancer. This report describes results of a survey that looked at cervical cancer screening from 2007 to 2012.
The results were quite distressing, revealing that approximately 1 in 10 US women aged 21-65 years had not been screened for this disease during those 5 years. Even more distressing, of those women without health insurance or a regular healthcare provider, approximately 1 in 4 had not been screened for cervical cancer during this 5-year period. In 2011 alone, there were 12,000 cases of cervical cancer and 4000 deaths. Clearly, we have a problem.
We have an illness that we know can be prevented if we detect it early. Even high-grade dysplasia, if it is found in the earliest stages, can be treated with far less morbidity. Yet, I emphasize, during this 5-year period, 1 in 10 women aged 21-65 years, and 1 in 4 women without health insurance or without a regular healthcare provider, have not been screened for cervical cancer.
As healthcare professionals we need to do everything we can to improve the situation. Governmental policymakers, healthcare officials in the states and in the cities, and healthcare providers all need to work together to improve this quite distressing figure. Cervical cancer is not extremely common, but it is deadly and can be prevented. We need to do much more to improve the situation.
I thank you for your attention.
Hello. I am Dr Maurie Markman from Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Philadelphia. I want to briefly discuss a recent report from the CDC regarding screening for cervical cancer. This report describes results of a survey that looked at cervical cancer screening from 2007 to 2012.
The results were quite distressing, revealing that approximately 1 in 10 US women aged 21-65 years had not been screened for this disease during those 5 years. Even more distressing, of those women without health insurance or a regular healthcare provider, approximately 1 in 4 had not been screened for cervical cancer during this 5-year period. In 2011 alone, there were 12,000 cases of cervical cancer and 4000 deaths. Clearly, we have a problem.
We have an illness that we know can be prevented if we detect it early. Even high-grade dysplasia, if it is found in the earliest stages, can be treated with far less morbidity. Yet, I emphasize, during this 5-year period, 1 in 10 women aged 21-65 years, and 1 in 4 women without health insurance or without a regular healthcare provider, have not been screened for cervical cancer.
As healthcare professionals we need to do everything we can to improve the situation. Governmental policymakers, healthcare officials in the states and in the cities, and healthcare providers all need to work together to improve this quite distressing figure. Cervical cancer is not extremely common, but it is deadly and can be prevented. We need to do much more to improve the situation.
I thank you for your attention.
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