Racial, age, and rural/urban disparity in cervical cancer incidence

PURPOSE: High mortality rates of cervical cancer among black women have been observed for several decades in the Southeast. The purpose of this study is to assess the factors associated with this geographic and racial enigma, and to see if incidence is consistent with mortality.METHODS: Using the Savannah River Regional Health Information System (SRRHIS), a 5-year cancer registry from 1991-1995, incidence rates were calculated and compared to rates from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER). The rates per 100,000/year were analyzed by race, rural/nonrural, and age (<45 and >/=45).Rates are similar between SRRHIS and SEER except in the case of black women over the age of 45. These women in rural SRRHIS have 1.66 times the incidence rate compared to those in nonrural SRRHIS and 1.97 times the rate of rural SEER.RESULTS:Table 1CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study suggest that the incidence of cervical cancer in the region is consistent with the mortality rates. The age-group with the highest rates are black women over 45 in rural areas, suggesting the need to target this group to reduce the racial disparity in cervical cancer.     

Relationships between socioeconomic status and race-specific cervical cancer incidence in the United States, 1973-1992

The association between low socioeconomic status (SES) in minority groups and higher incidence and mortality from cervical cancer was examined using two large U.S. databases. With cases from 1973 to 1992, all registries of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) (except Hawaii) were used to calculate incidence rates of in situ and invasive cervical cancers by race group. SES indicators were derived from the Regional Economic Information System, Department of Commerce. Higher levels of SES indicators were related to decreased risk and lower incidence of invasive cancers in all race groups, but especially white and black populations, and to increased incidence of situ cancer in these populations. Results suggest that higher SES status is related to a decrease in invasive cervical cancer, but an increase in in situ cervical cancer in recent years. These findings may explain the racial differences in cervical cancer incidence and help target intervention programs.     

Invasive cervical cancer among American Indian women in the Northern Plains, 1994-1998: incidence, mortality, and missed opportunities

OBJECTIVES: Cervical cancer mortality rates among the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) population in North and South Dakota were five times the national average (15.6 per 100,000 vs. 3.1 per 100,000, age adjusted) when last evaluated (from 1989 through 1993). Our goals were to update the AI/AN population cervical cancer mortality rates and to present incidence rates for AI/AN women in the region. METHODS: We reviewed charts for women diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer at Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities in North and South Dakota from 1994 through 1998 and collected information about cervical cancer screening and treatment history. Incidence and mortality rates were standardized to the 1970 U.S. population. RESULTS: Twenty-one cases of invasive cervical cancer and eight deaths were identified. Annualized incidence and mortality rates were 11.5 per 100,000 and 4.5 per 100,000. These compare with national all-race/ethnicity rates of 8.5 per 100,000 and 2.7 per 100,000 for incidence and mortality. Fifteen (71%) of 21 cases were diagnosed due to symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: While cervical cancer mortality rates have declined, incidence and mortality rates among AI/AN women remain higher than in the general U.S. population. Increased use of pap tests and careful follow-up of abnormal results should be aggressively promoted among AI/AN women in North and South Dakota.     

Cervical cancer in the Republic of Panama

Cervical cancer is more common in Latin America than elsewhere in the world. Previous work indicated that Panama also had a high incidence of cervical cancer and that the disease clustered in rural Herrera Province; to document this and collect detailed information on risk factors, the authors established a population-based Cervical Cancer Registry in Panama. Cervical cancer cases diagnosed between 1974 and 1979 were identified by visiting every major hospital in the country. The registry abstracted epidemiologic, clinical, and other information from patients' hospital charts. It recorded an age-adjusted invasive cervical cancer incidence of 28.4/100,000 between 1974 and 1979; rural Herrera Province supported the highest rate (79.1/100,000), while urban Panama Province had a low rate (24.6/100,000); in situ disease followed a similar pattern (48.7/100,000 in Herrera Province and 17.6/100,000 in Panama Province). Women born in Herrera Province retained high cervical cancer rates irrespective of residence at diagnosis (64.7/100,000), while women from Panama Province had low rates (12.4/100,000) which were comparable to those seen in US whites. In addition to having high cancer rates, women from Herrera Province developed invasive disease at an unusually young age; women between 35 and 39 years of age had an incidence of 151/100,000.     

Decline in breast cancer incidence--United States, 1999-2003

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among females in the United States. The 2006 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer described a stabilization in female breast cancer incidence rates during 2001-2003, ending increases that began in the 1980s, and a decline in the number of breast cancer cases diagnosed in 2003. In addition, researchers who used 1990-2003 data from the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program, representing approximately 14% of the U.S. population, reported a 7% decrease in invasive breast cancer rates from 2002 to 2003. To further assess breast cancer annual incidence rates during 1999-2003, CDC analyzed data collected by CDC's National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and the NCI SEER program. These combined data account for approximately 86% of the U.S. population. The results of this analysis indicated that age-adjusted incidence rates for invasive breast cancer decreased each year during 1999-2003, with the greatest decrease (6.1%) occurring from 2002 to 2003; women aged > or = 50 years experienced a significant decrease during this period. Rates of in situ (i.e., noninvasive) breast cancer increased each year during 1999-2002 and then decreased from 2002 to 2003; women aged 50-79 years experienced a significant decrease during this period. Future studies should focus on determining potential causes for these decreases.     

Breast cancer trends among young women in the United States

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that exposures associated with industrialization have increased breast cancer risk among young women in recent decades in the United States despite data demonstrating declining breast cancer mortality in birth cohorts born after 1945. METHODS: Trends for in situ and invasive breast cancer incidence rates from 1975 through 2002 among white and black U.S. women ages 20 to 49 are evaluated by decade of age using linear regression analyses. RESULTS: Despite increasing rates of in situ breast cancer after 1980 reflecting increased use of mammography, invasive breast cancer rates declined for both white and black women under age 50. These declines are consistent with a decrease in birth cohort risk of breast cancer for women born after 1945. CONCLUSIONS: Invasive breast cancer incidence rates are not increasing in young U.S. women despite increases in mammography and trends in known risk factors (eg, reproductive factors) that would predict increasing risk.     

Incidence of invasive cervical cancer in the Swiss canton of Vaud, and a note on screening.

Age adjusted incidence rates (World standard) from invasive cervical cancer in the Swiss canton of Vaud decreased from 17.7/100,000 in 1968-70 to 9.9/100,000 in 1983-85. The decline was substantial in younger middle age, but no appreciable trend was observed in women over 70. This is consistent with available interview based information on the pattern of cervical screening in the Swiss population. Although there was no organised screening programme in Switzerland, over 80% of women aged 20-44 and 65% of those aged 45-64 reported one or more screening smears over the previous 3 years, compared to only 22% of women aged 65 or over. In the last calendar period, there was an apparent increase in the incidence of invasive cervical cancer (from 2.5 to 6.1/100,000) in women aged 25-29. Although based on small absolute numbers, this is in agreement with incidence and mortality data from other countries, and may therefore confirm a change in risk factor exposure in younger women.     

Increased incidence of breast cancer in southeast Netherlands between 1960 and 1989]

Trends in incidence, stage distribution and mortality of breast cancer were determined in the Southeastern Netherlands in 1960-1989. First and second primary breast cancers were analyzed separately. The incidence and mortality rates were age-standardised according to the European Standard Population. The incidence rate of first primary invasive breast cancer increased from 50 per 100,000 women per year in 1960-61 to 96 in 1988-89, and of second primary invasive breast cancer from 3.2 in 1965-66 to 7.8 in 1988-89. The incidence rate of first primary ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) increased from 0.3 per 100,000 women per year in 1975-76 to 2.8 in 1988-89 and of second primary DCIS from 0.06 in 1975-79 to 0.4 per 100,000 in 1985-89. The increase in first invasive primaries was observed in all age groups, but mostly at age 75 and over. The percentage with stage I tumours of the patients with a first primary invasive breast cancer increased from 7% in the sixties to 27% in the eighties, whereas the percentage of stage III and IV tumours combined, decreased from 39% in the sixties to 26% in the eighties. While age-adjusted incidence of first primaries almost doubled in the past thirty years, breast cancer mortality rose only slightly. However, breast cancer mortality showed a proportionate increase of total mortality from 4.5% in 1970-71 to 6.3% in 1988-89.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Breast cancer trends of black women compared with white women

OBJECTIVE: To investigate why breast cancer mortality rates have decreased in the 1990's for white women but not for black women. DESIGN: Racial differences in breast cancer incidence, survival, and mortality rates were examined using regression methods and age-period-cohort models. SETTING: United States breast cancer mortality rates from 1970 through 1995, breast cancer incidence rates from 1980 through 1995, and 3-year survival rates from 1980 through 1993. The incidence and survival data are from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program, representing 11% of the US population, of the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md. RESULTS: For both white and black women aged 30 to 39 years, breast cancer mortality rates began decreasing in 1987. For white women aged 40 to 79 years, breast cancer mortality rates declined after 1989, and for black women aged 40 to 69 years, mortality rates ceased increasing in the middle to late 1980s. Birth cohort trends were similar by race, but calendar period trends and survival rates differed. CONCLUSIONS: Declines in mortality rates in women younger than 40 years reflect a favorable birth cohort trend for women born after 1948 and likely reflect changes in risk factors. The increased early detection of breast cancer by mammography and improvements in breast cancer treatment appear to be contributing to the improving mortality trends in older women, although black women appear to have benefited less than white women from early detection and treatment advances. In addition, substantial increases in survival rates for white women with regional disease have contributed to their declining mortality rates and likely reflect an increasing use of beneficial adjuvant therapy.     

Incidence of anal cancer in California: increased incidence among men in San Francisco, 1973-1999

BACKGROUND: Incidence of anal cancer has increased in the United States during the past 30 years. This report describes the incidence of this rare cancer in the diverse California population. METHODS: Age-adjusted incidence rates (AAIR) were calculated by gender, race/ethnicity, county, and year of diagnosis for over 2100 cases of cancer of the anus diagnosed between 1995 and 1999. Age-adjusted incidence rates by time period 1973-1999 were calculated for San Francisco County. RESULTS: Age-adjusted incidence was higher for women than for men (AAIR 1.5 vs 1.2) in California, but men under age 40 and those classified as non-Hispanic Black had higher rates than women, and men had higher rates in San Francisco County (AAIR=8.7). Rates were higher among non-Hispanic Blacks and Whites than among Hispanics and Asian/Pacific Islanders. For all of California, there was an average 2% annual increase among non-Hispanic White men between 1988 and 1999. Incidence of this cancer among White males residing in San Francisco County more than doubled between the 1984-1990 and 1996-1999 time periods. Rates rose especially dramatically for San Francisco men ages 40 to 64, from 3.7 cases per 100,000 in 1973-1978 to 8.6 cases per 100,000 in 1984-1990 and to 20.6 cases per 100,000 in 1996-1999. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated incidence of anal cancer among White men residing in San Francisco County is likely to be related to the high proportion of men who have sex with men. Rates of anal cancer in this high-risk population increased during the past decade.     

Cervix and breast cancer incidence in immigrant Caribbean women.

Cervix and breast cancer incidence in 1978-82 was computed for immigrant and United States-born Black women in Brooklyn, New York. Compared to the national SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results) rates, US-born and Haitian women had high rates of invasive cervical cancer, while English-speaking Caribbean immigrants had an average rate. However, while US-born women had an average rate of carcinoma in situ of the cervix, both immigrant groups had low rates. Both immigrant groups had low rates of breast cancer, whereas US-born Black women had an average rate.     

Global trends in breast cancer incidence and mortality 1973-1997

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, breast cancer is the most common cancer and is the leading cause of cancer death among women. METHODS: To describe global trends, we compared age-adjusted incidence and mortality rates over three decades (from 1973-77 to 1993-97) and across several continents. RESULTS: Both breast cancer incidence and mortality rates varied 4-fold by geographic location between countries with the highest and lowest rates. Recent (1993-1997) incidence rates ranged from 27/100,000 in Asian countries to 97/100,000 among US white women. Overall, North American and northern European countries had the highest incidence rates of breast cancer; intermediate levels were reported in Western Europe, Oceania, Scandinavia, and Israel; and Eastern Europe, South and Latin America, and Asia had the lowest levels. Breast cancer incidence rose 30-40% from the 1970s to the 1990s in most countries, with the most marked increases among women aged > or =50 years. Mortality from breast cancer paralleled incidence: it was highest in the countries with the highest incidence rates (between 17/100,000 and 27/100,000), lowest in Latin America and Asia (7-14/100,000), and rose most rapidly in countries with the lowest rates. CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancer incidence and mortality rates remain highest in developed countries compared with developing countries, as a result of differential use of screening mammograms and disparities in lifestyle and hereditary factors. Future studies assessing the combined contributions of both environmental and hereditary factors may provide explanations for worldwide differences in incidence and mortality rates.     

Racial differences in ill defined cancer mortality in the United States and in the District of Columbia.

STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to examine the epidemiology of unknown primary cancer mortality in the USA during 1979 to 1988 by age, sex, race, year, and geographical area. DESIGN--National (US) and state data were abstracted for deaths due to ill defined cancer (ICD-9 195.0 to 199.1) and all cancers combined (ICD-9 140.0-209.9). Age adjusted mortality rates were calculated using the 1980 USA population as the standard, and standardised rate ratios were derived. National total cancer incidence data were obtained from the surveillance, epidemiology and end results (SEER) program, and age and sex specific relative (black/white) cancer incidence rates were derived and compared to relative (black/white) mortality rates for ill defined cancer. State and regional median family income levels were obtained from the 1980 census and compared to corresponding mortality rates. SETTING--This study used data for the US population, the 50 states, and the District of Columbia. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS--During 1984-1988, ill defined cancers accounted for an average of 34,921 deaths each year in the USA (13.7 per 100,000 population). The mortality rate due to ill defined cancers is greater among blacks (19.3 per 100,000) than whites (13.2 per 100,000) (RR = 1.5) and has not declined since 1979. There is considerable geographical variation in the ill defined cancer mortality rate. Thus among blacks the highest rates were clustered in the central states (23 per 100,000) and the lowest rates were seen in the mountain and western states (17 per 100,000). The District of Columbia had the highest overall rate (21.7 per 100,000) when compared to all other states. The black/white relative mortality rate due to ill defined cancer was consistently greater than the black/white relative incidence of all cancers. CONCLUSIONS--Ill defined cancer mortality is the fourth leading site of cancer mortality in the USA, and accounts for 7.4% of cancer deaths annually. The large proportion of ill defined cancer deaths may have biased the accuracy of national and local cancer incidence and mortality statistics. The higher mortality of ill defined cancer among blacks is not explained by the higher overall cancer incidence among blacks and suggests the influence of socioeconomic or cultural barriers that may result in underutilisation of health services or substandard health care. Ill defined cancer mortality may be a sentinel indicator of deficiencies in the health care delivery system as well as a measure of progress against cancer.     

Hysterectomy-corrected incidence rates of cervical and uterine cancers in Massachusetts, 1995 to 2010

PurposeThe aim was to provide ethnicity-specific incidence trends of cervical and uterine cancers uncorrected and corrected for the prevalence of hysterectomy in Massachusetts.MethodsWe used incidence data of invasive cervical (International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, Third Edition: C53) and uterine cancer (International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, Third Edition: C54-C55) diagnosed from 1995 to 2010 from the Massachusetts Cancer Registry. Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey for Massachusetts were used to model the ethnicity-specific prevalence of hysterectomy. We standardized rates by the US 2000 population standard for the periods 1995 to 1998, 1999 to 2002, 2003 to 2006, and 2007 to 2010.ResultsDepending on the period, corrected cervical cancer rates increased by 1.2 to 2.8, 5.6 to 8.3, and 3.2 to 8.2 per 100,000 person-years, and uterine cancer rates increased by 14.3 to 16.7, 14.8 to 29.3, and 6.7 to 15.4 per 100,000 person-years among white non-Hispanic women, black non-Hispanic women, and Hispanic women, respectively. Corrected estimated annual percentage changes increased for uterine cancer among black non-Hispanic women aged 60 years and older. Ethnic disparities between white non-Hispanic women and the other groups became smaller for uterine cancer and larger for cervical cancer after correction.DiscussionCorrections of cervical and uterine cancer rates for hysterectomy prevalence are important as ethnic disparities, age patterns and time trends of cervical and uterine cancer incidence rates change.     

Does stage at diagnosis influence the observed relationship between socioeconomic status and breast cancer incidence, case-fatality, and mortality?

Historically, lower socioeconomic status (SES) has been reported to be associated with decreased breast cancer incidence and mortality and increased case-fatality, although recent trends in breast cancer screening and treatment may alter these relationships. This study assessed the associations between SES and breast cancer incidence, case-fatality, and mortality by stage of disease at diagnosis using recent data in the United States. Breast cancer incidence and survival data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) tumor registry for black and white women aged 55 and above were linked to county level SES and population data based on place of residence. Poisson regression was used to calculate age-adjusted relative rates associated with SES levels and breast cancer incidence, case-fatality, and mortality. As SES decreased, localized breast cancer incidence rates decreased, while incidence rates of distant disease increased. Five-year localized and regional breast cancer case-fatality rates increased as SES decreased. Localized breast cancer mortality rates decreased as SES declined, whereas regional breast cancer mortality rates tended to increase. These results confirm some previously reported findings and suggest that associations between lower SES and lower localized breast cancer mortality rates are influenced mainly by underlying associations between SES and localized breast cancer incidence, whereas regional breast cancer mortality rates appear to reflect the underlying association between SES and regional case-fatality rates.     

Projection of incidence rates to a larger population using ecologic variables

There is wide acceptance of direct standardization of vital rates to adjust for differing age distributions according to the representation within age categories of some referent population. One can use a similar process to standardize, and subsequently project vital rates with respect to continuous, or ratio scale ecologic variables. We obtained from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) programme, a 10 per cent subset of the total U.S. population, country-level breast cancer incidence during 1987-1989 for white women aged 50 and over. We applied regression coefficients that relate ecologic factors to SEER incidence to the full national complement of county-level information to produce an age and ecologic factor adjusted rate that may be more representative of the U.S. than the simple age-adjusted SEER incidence. We conducted a validation study using breast cancer mortality data available for the entire U.S. and which supports the appropriateness of this method for projecting rates.     

Changing epidemiology of invasive pneumococcal disease in central Australia prior to conjugate vaccine: a 16-year study

This study reports a 16-year prospective surveillance of invasive disease isolates in central Australian Aborigines. There were 621 (89.6% of total) isolates recovered from Aborigines. The mortality in children less than 5 years of age was 4% but rose to 34.5% in those over 49 years of age. The study documented continuing high rates of disease overall, but with significant reductions in incidence rates for children. In children under 2 years of age, the incidence fell by 32% from 2053 per 100,000 in the period 1985-1990 to 1184 per 100,000 in the period 1996-2000. Rates of disease in adults showed no reduction despite an adult immunisation programme with 23 valent vaccine which occurred in the 1990s. Epidemics of serotypes 1, 5 and 12F were documented during the study period.     

Rural–Urban Trends and Patterns in Cervical Cancer Mortality, Incidence, Stage, and Survival in the United States, 1950–2008

This study examined disparities in cervical cancer mortality rates among US women in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas from 1950 through 2007. Inequalities in incidence, stage of disease at diagnosis, and patient survival were analyzed during 2000–2008. Age-adjusted mortality, incidence, and 5-year relative survival rates were calculated for women in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, and differences in relative risks were tested for statistical significance. Log-linear regression was used to analyze annual rates of change in mortality over time. During the last five decades, women in non-metropolitan areas had significantly higher cervical cancer mortality than those in metropolitan areas. Disparities persisted against a backdrop of consistently declining mortality rates. Throughout 1969–2007, both white and black women in non-metropolitan areas maintained significantly higher cervical cancer mortality rates than their metropolitan counterparts. Among black women, cervical cancer mortality declined at a faster pace in metropolitan than in non-metropolitan areas. In both metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, black women had twice the mortality rate of white women. During 2000–2008, white, black, and American Indian women in non-metropolitan areas had significantly higher cervical cancer incidence rates than their metropolitan counterparts. Survival rates were significantly lower in non-metropolitan areas, particularly among rural black women. The 5-year survival rate for black women diagnosed with cervical cancer was 50.8% in non-metropolitan areas, compared with 60.2% for black women and 71.0% for white women in metropolitan areas. Disparities in survival existed after controlling for disease stage. Rural–urban disparities in cervical cancer have persisted despite steep declines in incidence and mortality rates.     

Invasive cervical cancer among Hispanic and non-Hispanic women--United States, 1992-1999

During 1973-1999, both the incidence of and death rates for cervical cancer decreased approximately 50% in the United States. For 2002, approximately 13,000 new cases of invasive cervical cancer are expected, and approximately 4,100 women will die of the disease. Although invasive cervical cancer can be prevented by regular screening, the prevalence of Papanicolaou (Pap) testing remains relatively low among minority populations such as Hispanic women. To characterize the incidence of invasive cervical cancer, CDC analyzed incidence data for Hispanic and non-Hispanic women during 1992-1999 in 11 geographic areas with population-based registries. This report summarizes the results of this analysis, which indicate that the incidence of invasive cervical cancer decreased for Hispanic and non-Hispanic women. However, among women aged > or = 30 years, cervical cancer incidence for Hispanic women was approximately twice that for non-Hispanic women. To lower the incidence of invasive cervical cancer, local health organizations should provide culturally appropriate public health interventions that encourage participation in readily accessible cervical cancer-screening programs.     

Community trends in the early detection of breast cancer in Wisconsin, 1980-1998

BACKGROUND: Early detection of breast cancer is an important public health goal. Rates of early detection have increased over the past several decades, contributing to recent declines in mortality. Despite these overall trends, however, some populations have experienced less progress than others. METHODS: The rates of early detection, measured as the percentage of breast cancers diagnosed as breast carcinoma in situ, were calculated using data from Wisconsin's population-based tumor registry from 1980 to 1998. Trends in breast cancer (percent diagnosed in situ) were examined over time by socioeconomic characteristics of ZIP code of residence, using census data. RESULTS: The percentage of breast cancer cases that were breast carcinoma in situ was more than five times greater in the later period (1994-1998) (13.9%), compared with the early period (1980-1984) (2.6%). In the middle period (1987-1991), breast cancer was diagnosed as breast carcinoma in situ about one-third less frequently among women in areas with the lowest urbanization, median family income, and percent educated beyond high school, compared with communities with the highest levels of these variables. Recently disparities in early detection rates by community income and education indicators declined slightly, whereas disparities in percent of breast carcinoma in situ by urbanization did not. CONCLUSIONS: Communities with lower levels of income, education, and urbanization lagged in the early detection of breast cancer during the 1980s and, despite some progress during the 1990s, continue to be underserved. Women in these communities should be targeted for interventions to improve the early detection of breast cancer.