BOSTON -- The death rate from cervical cancer continues to dramatically drop, thanks to regular pap tests, but in certain groups, it is still a major problem -- especially where social and economic barriers interfere with regular screening.

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Heather Unruh Reports On Cancer RESOURCES Women's Health Network: (877) 414-4447 Dana Farber/Partners HealthCare Breast and Cervical Screening Collaborative: (800) 449-0344

RESOURCES Cancer.org Partners.org SCREENING Low Income, Uninsured Women: Women's Health Network Program at Mass. Dept. of Public Health 877-414-4447 Or: Dana Farber Partners Healthcare Screening Program 800-449-0344 American Cancer Society 800-ACS-2345 Boston Residents Seeking Health Insurance: Mayor's Health Line 800-847-0710 INTERACTIVE 5 For Fighting Cancer Quiz Survey: What Cancer Screening Tests Do You Need? Survey: Have You Had Cancer Screenings?

NewsCenter 5s Heather Unruh reported that Ana Velasquez is lucky. The mother of two gets regular pap tests. It's a test she says is not done in her native Mexico.

"My sister-in-law when she came, she didn't know anything about that. So we brought her here to the clinic and now she gets her regular checkups," Velasquez said.

Hispanic women have the highest incidence of cervical cancer -- almost double that of Caucasians. They're also more likely to die of the disease because as a group, they are least likely to have medical insurance or a regular doctor.

"Fifty percent of women we diagnose with invasive cervical cancer have not had a pap smear in their lifetime. Then another 10 percent of them have not had a pap in five years," Massachusetts General Hospital Dr. Marcel Del Carmen said.

Cervical cancer is almost 100 percent curable if caught early through a pap test. It's one of few cancer screenings that is particularly important in younger women.

That's because a virus called HPV is present in almost all cases of cervical cancer. It's sexually transmitted and more likely to impact the cervix at a young age.

"We know that when a woman is young, usually between the ages of 18 and 21, that area is going through rapid transformation so it's very susceptible to becoming infected by the virus," Del Carmen said.

While 60 percent of women in this country have HPV, only a small percentage get cervical cancer. Cigarette smoking does increase the risk of the cervical cancer -- as does obesity.

The American Cancer Society recommends a pap test starting when a woman becomes sexually active or at age 21 and then every year until age 30. After that, women with normal tests can be screened every two to three years.

Staff at a Chelsea health center take every opportunity to educate patients -- 75 percent of whom don't speak English -- on the importance of testing.

"We may get them because they come in on an urgent visit, they've got a headache, they're not feeling well, and that's our opportunity to say let's take care of this, but we like to do annual physicals. Once they see that something can be done early, I think you get them sold," MGH Chelsea Laurie O'Leary.