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An American Cancer Society study has revealed that women without health insurance are far more likely to receive a diagnosis of advanced cervical cancer. 

Researchers analyzed 70,000 U.S. women diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer between 2000 and 2007 found that lack of insurance was second only to age as the strongest predictor of late-stage cancer at diagnosis.

Once a leading cancer killer of women, deaths from cervical cancer in the United States dropped dramatically after Pap test screening became a common practice. In 2008, over 12,000 women in the United States were diagnosed with cervical cancer over 4,000 women died from the cancer.

Researchers found that 55 percent of women who had private health insurance had a stage I diagnosis, compared to just 36 percent of women who were uninsured. Twenty-four percent of privately insured women were diagnosed with advanced disease (stage III and IV), compared to 35 percent of those uninsured. 

Researchers also noted that old age was still the strongest predictor of late-stage disease, though, with risk being up to 2.5 times greater in women 50 years and older compared to women 21 to 34 years of age.

The American Cancer Society recommends that All women begin cervical cancer screening by the age of 21, and that women between the ages of 21 and 29 have a Pap test every three years; women between the ages of 30 and 65 have a Pap test and a human papillomavirus (HPV) test every five years or a Pap test alone every three years; women over the age of 65 who have had regular screenings should not continue screening unless they have had abnormal results indicative of an increased risk for the cancer.

"Advanced-stage disease leads not only to poorer quality of life and greater morbidity, but often to higher treatment costs as well. Screening should be made accessible and affordable for all women for whom it is recommended, especially for those at higher risk of advanced-stage disease, such as middle-aged women, Medicaid recipients and uninsured women," the researchers said. 

The study was published online July 19 in the American Journal of Public Health.