Cervical Cancer Statistics

Cervical cancer used to be the leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States. However, in the past 40 years, the number of cases of cervical cancer and the number of deaths from cervical cancer have decreased significantly. This decline largely is the result of many women getting regular Pap tests, which can find cervical precancer before it turns into cancer.¹

In 2005,*

• 11,999 women in the U.S. were told that they had cervical cancer, and 3,924 women died from the disease.²
• It is estimated that more than $2 billion† is spent on the treatment of cervical cancer per year in the U.S.³

The number of women in the U.S. who develop or die from cervical cancer each year varies by state. Find more information about cervical cancer rates by state.

*The most recent year for which statistics are currently available. Incidence counts cover approximately 96% of the U.S. population. Death counts cover 100% of the U.S. population. Use caution in comparing incidence and death counts.

†The cost estimates were originally presented in 1996 U.S. dollars, which were updated to 2000 U.S. dollars using the Medical Care Component of the Consumer Price Index [MCPI].

References

¹National Institutes of Health. Cervical Cancer. NIH Consensus Statement. 1996;14(1):1–38.

²U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 1999–2005 Incidence and Mortality Web-based Report. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute; 2009. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/uscs.

³Brown ML, Lipscomb J, Snyder C. The burden of illness of cancer: economic cost and quality of life. Annual Review of Public Health 2001;22:91–113.