A woman’s risk of developing cervical cancer increases with age. A study conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine has revealed that cervical cancer rates in the United States, especially among 65- to 69-year-old women and Africa-American women, are substantially higher that what experts previously thought, the Medical Daily reported.

“Our corrected calculations show that women just past 65 have the highest rate of cervical cancer,” said Dr. Anne F. Rositch, researcher at the University of Maryland.

Rositch and her colleagues from the university analyzed all existing research connected to incidences of cervical cancer diagnoses among women in the U.S.

Overall, the research team estimated the actual cervical cancer rates among all women at 18.6 cases per 100,000 women. Cervical cancer rates among women between the ages of 65 and 69 were estimated at 27.4 cases per 100,000 women, which was 84 percent higher than previous data at 14.8 cases per 100,000 women.

Researchers called for an improvement to widespread human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination efforts, considering the virus is to blame for almost all of cervical cancer diagnoses. Women should also consider annual routine Pap tests to screen for cervical cancer.