​Cervical Cancer Screening

Measure Definition

The Cervical Cancer Screening measure reports the percentage of women 21 through 64 years of age who received one or more Pap tests within the prior three years.

Importance

In the United States during 2012, the American Cancer Society estimates 12,170 new cases of invasive cervical cancer and 4,220 deaths resulting from cervical cancer. In the United States, Hispanic women are most likely to get cervical cancer, followed by African-Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders, and Whites. A well-proven way to prevent cervical cancer is to have testing (screening) to find pre-cancers before they can turn into invasive cancer. The Pap test (or Pap smear) is the most common way to do this. If a pre-cancer is found it can be treated, stopping cervical cancer before it starts. The five-year relative survival rate for early stages of invasive cervical cancer is 93 percent.

To see how Managed Care reported on Cervical Cancer Screening, click here