The share of American women in their twenties who have never had a cervical cancer screening more than doubled between 2005 and 2023, reaching nearly one in three, according to a new analysis of federal survey data.
The finding matters because cervical cancer is unusual among cancers. Most screening tests are designed to catch cancer early. Cervical screening can prevent the cancer from developing at all by identifying precancerous changes that can be treated before they turn malignant. A woman who has never been screened has never had that chance.
