Rome women's screening study: knowledge, attitudes and practices of women regarding screening for breast and cervical cancer.

A survey on knowledge, attitudes, and practice regarding breast and cervical cancer screening was conducted in Rome on a sample of women aged 18-64 years. Of the 793 interviewees, 31.9% had undergone at least one breast imaging examination; examinations were more frequent in women over 35 and in those familiar with breast self-examination and female pathophysiology. Seventy percent of the women had had at least one Pap smear. Women were classified as Pap smear underusers (26.0%), appropriate users (28.8%), and overusers (45.2%) as compared to standard screening recommendations, according to their age and their lifetime number of smears. Age over 35 was associated with both underuse and overuse. Such inappropriate screening patterns could be related in part to the fact that the women reported that their physicians recommendations for Pap smear frequency were once a year or more in 62%, and once every two or three years in only 2%.