CDC Releases Detection Rates by Race and Ethnicity.(for cervical cancer)

2001 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the first race- and ethnic-specific rates of cervical cancer detection from its national screening program for low-income, uninsured women.

Among women receiving their first National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP)-funded Papanicolau (Pap) test between 1991 and 1998, American-Indian or Alaska-Native (Al/AN) women had the highest proportion of abnormal tests (4.4%), followed by African Americans (3.2%), whites (3.0%), Hispanics (2.7%), and Asians/Pacific Islanders (A/PI) (1.9%).

White women had the highest rate of serious cervical lesions detected by biopsy (9.9 per 1,000 Pap tests), followed by Hispanics (7.6), African Americans (7.1), AI/ANs (6.7), and A/PIs (5.4).

American-Indian or Alaska-Native women were more likely than others to report never having had a prior Pap test, and African-American women were more likely not to receive follow-up after diagnosis of a serious cervical lesion.

"These data remind us that women of every race and ethnic group need access to the potentially life-saving benefits of regular cervical cancer screening," said James S. Marks, MD, MPH, CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. "CDC is committed to continuing to work to make sure this happens."

The screening and early detection program has grown from eight states in 1991 to 50 states, six U.S. territories, the District of Columbia, and 12 American Indian/Alaska ...