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.