HPV-Associated Cervical Cancer Rates by Race and Ethnicity

It is estimated that about 10,800 new cases of HPV-associated cervical cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year.* More black and Hispanic women get cervical cancer and are diagnosed at later stages of the disease than women of other races or ethnicities, possibly because of decreased access to Pap testing or follow-up treatment.

*These numbers are based on a large study that covered 83% of the U.S. population during 1998–2003, and may under-represent the actual number of cancers diagnosed during this time period. Also, this study used cancer registry data to estimate the amount of potentially HPV-associated cancer in the United States by examining cancer in parts of the body and cancer cell types that are more likely to be caused by HPV. Cancer registries do not collect data on the presence or absence of HPV in cancer tissue at the time of diagnosis. However, nearly all cervical cancers are caused by HPV.

HPV-associated cervical cancer rates by race and ethnicity, United States, 1998–2003

The graph above shows age-adjusted incidence rates for cervical cancer in the United States during 1998–2003. API means Asian/Pacific Islander. The rates shown are the number of women who were diagnosed with cervical cancer for every 100,000 women. About 8 white women, 13 black women, and 8 Asian/Pacific Islander women were diagnosed with cervical cancer per 100,000 women. About 14 Hispanic women were diagnosed with cervical cancer per 100,000 women, compared to 8 non-Hispanic women. This graph was adapted from Watson M, Saraiya M, Benard V, Coughlin SS, Flowers LC, Cokkinides V, Schwenn M, Huang Y, Giuliano AR. Burden of cervical cancer in the United States, 1998–2003. Cancer 2008;113(S10):2855–2864.