Cervical cancer screening among elderly urban women in a primary care setting.

Cervical cancer remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality in older women. The cancer screening by means of Papanicolaou (Pap) smear testing has been shown to improve early detection. One quarter of new cases of invasive cervical cancer occur in women age 65 and older, yet only 52% of this population has had cervical cytology within the past 3 years, and approximately 25% of elderly women have never been screened.