Survey results
A survey showed about 60 percent of women that had their uterus and cervix removed were still getting regular pap smears.
“Some of these women would need continued screening, for various reasons, but that’s a small percentage,” says researcher Meg Watson, MPH, an epidemiologist with the CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control. “We wouldn’t think it would be 60%.”
During the test, cells are taken and tested for forms of cancer.
“But vaginal cancer rates are quite low,” Watson says, and subsequent studies have shown that using Pap smears to find vaginal cancers isn’t an effective strategy.
So, why are women still getting tested? “It doesn’t really make a lot of sense,” says Virginia Moyer, MD, MPH, a pediatrician and chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a panel of expert advisors that makes recommendations about tests and treatments that are meant to prevent disease.
“The only thing I can sort of speculate is that people get in the habit of doing them and just keep doing them without really thinking about it, which is regrettable,” Moyer told WebMD.
Cancer deaths dropping
In a separate report, the CDC has also announced the number of deaths caused by cancer are dropping. Check out some of the more interesting statistics from the report:
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Women are getting unnecessary testing. For the first time, lung cancer deaths in women are dropping
- More children were diagnosed with cancer, but fewer died from it
- Fewer women were diagnosed with breast, lung, colorectal, uterine, cervical, and bladder cancer
- Fewer men were diagnosed with lung, colon, rectum and stomach cancer
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