| Demographic Group: | All female residents. |
| Numerator: | Deaths with International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 code C53 (ICD-9 code 180) as the underlying cause of death among female residents during a calendar year. |
| Denominator: | Midyear resident female population for the same calendar year. |
| Measures of Frequency: | Annual number of deaths. Annual mortality rate — crude and age-adjusted (standardized by the direct method to the year 2000 standard U.S. population based on single years of age from the Census P25-1130 series estimates*) — with 95% confidence interval. |
| Time Period of Case Definition: | Calendar year. |
| Background: | During 2001, cancer of the cervix caused approximately 4,400 deaths. Approximately 12,200 new cases are diagnosed annually. Cases detected at the earliest, premalignant stage (in situ) are more common, accounting for 55,000 new cases/year. Black women have higher rates of cervical cancer incidence and mortality than do white women. |
| Significance: | Approximately 40%–60% of cervical cancer deaths could be prevented by increased use of the Papanicolaou (Pap) test and effective, timely treatment. The dramatic decrease in cervical cancer incidence and mortality during the past 40 years is mainly the result of the widespread use of the Pap test. Cigarette smoking; infection with the high-risk human papilloma virus; and certain sexual practices, including having multiple sex partners, early age at first intercourse, and history of a sexually transmitted disease, increase the risk of cervical cancer. |
| Limitations of Indicator: | Because cancer of the cervix can have a long latency period, years might pass before changes in behavior or clinical practice affect population mortality. |
| Data Resources: | Death certificate data from vital statistics agencies (numerator) and population estimates from the U.S. Bureau of the Census or suitable alternative (denominator).
http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/uscs/Table.aspx?Group=TableGeo&Year=2001&Display=n |
| Limitations of Data Resources: | Causes of death and other variables listed on the death certificate might be inaccurate. |
| Healthy People 2010 Objectives: | 3-4: Reduce the death rate from cancer of the uterine cervix. |
