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Cervical Cancer Screening in Women Aged 65 and Over
Author(s) -
Weintraub Nancy T.,
Violi Elissa,
Freedman Michael L.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1987.tb02340.x
Subject(s) - medicine , incidence (geometry) , population , cervical cancer screening , pap test , cervical cancer , dysplasia , cervical screening , cancer screening , screening test , gynecology , malignancy , obstetrics , cancer , pediatrics , physics , environmental health , optics
Pap smear screening is an accepted method of detecting cervical dysplasia or malignancy, and use of this test has been shown to reduce the incidence of invasive squamous cervical cancer in young and middle aged women. Conflicting recommendations exist concerning the screening of women over the age of 65, and little information is available concerning the results of screening in this population. Elderly women are routinely omitted from screening, as it is generally believed that they usually refuse testing. This paper reports a study attempting to evaluate the feasibility of screening in women over the age of 64 attending a large urban outpatient geriatric clinic. It demonstrates that pap smear screening is acceptable to this population, particularly if performed by the usual primary care provider. It also confirms previous reports that women in this age group have had very little screening in the past, and that screening uncovers a large number of abnormalities. Of note is the high rate of false positive smears in this population. J Am Geriatr Soc 35: 870–875, 1987