The use of preventive health services among elderly uterine cancer survivors.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine whether women who survived uterine cancer received 4 recommended preventive services (mammography, colorectal cancer screening, influenza immunization, and bone density testing) at the same rates as women with no history of cancer. We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database to compare the rates among survivors aged 67 years or older with a matched group of women with no history of cancer. Survivors were significantly more likely to have a mammogram (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.30-1.50) or a colorectal cancer screening examination (adjusted OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.05-1.18). Influenza immunization and bone density testing rates were similar. The 28% of survivors seen by an obstetrician-gynecologist or gynecologic oncologist had the highest rates of use. Efforts need to be made to increase the use of services by all women to achieve the target rates established by Healthy People 2010.