Gynecologic Cancer Awareness
It is important for women to pay attention to their bodies and know what is normal for them so they can recognize the warning signs of gynecologic cancers, including cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar cancers.
Gynecologic cancer is any cancer that starts in a woman's reproductive organs. Cancer is always named for the part of the body where it starts. The five gynecologic cancers begin in different places within a woman's pelvis, which is the area below the stomach and in between the hip bones.
Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other gynecologic cancer in the United States, but it accounts for only about 3 percent of all cancers in women. When ovarian cancer is found in its early stages, treatment is most effective.
In 2004^,women in the United States had an ovarian cancer incidence rate of 12.5 and a death rate from ovarian cancer of 8.8 per 100,000 women.# When considering women of different races and ethnicities, incidence rates were as follows:
| White | 13.0 |
| Hispanic | 11.5 |
| Black | 9.3 |
| Asian/Pacific Islander: | 8.7 |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 6.7 |
Death rates from ovarian cancer also varied among women of different races and ethnicities:
| White | 9.1 |
| Black | 7.6 |
| Hispanic | 6.0 |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 5.1 |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 4.6 |
^The most recent year for which data are available.
#Age-adjusted to the 2000 US standard population.
DATA SOURCE: U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 1999–2004 Incidence and Mortality Web-based Report. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Cancer Institute; 2007. Available at: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/uscs/.
