HPV-Associated Cervical Cancer Rates by Race and Ethnicity

It is estimated that about 11,700 new cases of HPV-associated cervical cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year.* More black and Hispanic women get HPV-associated cervical cancer than women of other races or ethnicities, possibly because of decreased access to Pap testing or follow-up treatment.

*Note: This study used cancer registry data to estimate the amount of 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. In general, HPV is thought to be responsible for about 91% of HPV-associated cervical cancers.

HPV-Associated Cervical Cancer Rates by Race and Ethnicity, United States, 2009–2013

The graph above shows age-adjusted incidence rates for HPV-associated cervical cancer in the United States during 2009–2013. “AI/AN” means American Indian/Alaska Native, and “A/PI” means Asian/Pacific Islander. The rates shown are the number of women who were diagnosed with HPV-associated cervical cancer for every 100,000 women. About 9 black women, 7 white women, 7 American Indian/Alaska Native women, and 6 Asian/Pacific Islander women were diagnosed with HPV-associated cervical cancer per 100,000 women. About 9 Hispanic women were diagnosed with HPV-associated cervical cancer per 100,000 women, compared to 7 non-Hispanic women.

Data are from population-based cancer registries participating in the CDC National Program of Cancer Registries and/or the NCI Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program, meeting criteria for high data quality for all years 2009–2013, and covering about 99% of the U.S. population.

Reference

Viens LJ, Henley SJ, Watson M, Markowitz LE, Thomas CC, Thompson TD, Razzaghi H, Saraiya M, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Human papillomavirus–associated cancers—United States, 2008–2012. MMWR 2016;65(26):661–666.