Study Reveals Decline in Cervical Cancer Screening Among Young Women

A study published in JAMA Network Open found that 31.9 percent of women aged 21 to 29 had never been screened for cervical cancer by 2023, up from 12.5 percent in 2005.

Researchers analyzed federal health data from 2005 to 2023, noting that while HPV vaccination rates for the youngest group rose to 54 percent by 2019, screening gaps persist across all age groups.

The analysis indicates that advanced cervical cancer cases among women aged 30 to 64 have increased by more than 2 percent annually since 2017, highlighting a critical failure in early detection systems.