Based on epidemiological data, cervical cancer screening utilizing the Pap test is considered the most successful cancer prevention strategy currently available.

• The Pap test, also called a Pap smear, was developed in 1940 by George Papanicolaou and became widely used starting in the 1970's.
• It consists of a sampling of the cells at the transformation zone of the cervix, the area where squamous epithelial cells change to squamocolumnar cells.
• The Pap test detects signs of cervical cancer and pre-cancerous lesions that can be treated before they become invasive cervical cancer.

Since the widespread use of the Pap test started in the 1970's, there has been a 50% decrease in the incidence of cervical cancer and a 70% decrease in deaths resulting from cervical cancer.

• In the United States in 2005, there will be an estimated 10,370 new cases of cervical cancer according to the American Cancer Society (ACS) and based on incidence data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program, NCI SEER (ACS, 2005).
• And in the U.S. in 2005, there will be an estimated 3,710 deaths from cervical cancer according to the ACS and based on mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics (ACS, 2005).
• Cervical cancer was once the most common cause of cancer death for women in the U.S., but it is estimated that it will cause less than 2% of all cancer deaths for U.S. women in 2005 (ACS, 2005).
• In Wisconsin during the period 1996-2000, there were an average of 264 women diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer and an average of 65 deaths for each year (ACS, 2004a). This is based on data from the Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System and the NCI SEER.
• For women worldwide, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer and it is also the most common cause of cancer death (ACS, 2005).

There are significant differences in incidence and mortality from cervical cancer associated with race and ethnicity.

• Hispanic women have the highest incidence of cervical cancer: 16.2 per 100,000 women in the U.S. (ACS, 2005; based on data from NCI SEER).
• African American women have the highest mortality from invasive cervical cancer at 5.6 per 100,000 U.S. women (ACS, 2005; based on data from NCI SEER).
• Racial differences in incidence and mortality for cervical cancer may have to do with the biology of the disease but are more clearly related to access to and use of screening in different populations. This difference can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment (ACS, 2005).

Cervical cancer incidence & mortality rates* by race and ethnicity for the U.S., 1997-2001
Race/ethnicity	Incidence*	Mortality*
White	8.9	2.6
African American	11.8	5.6
Asian/Pacific Islander	9.5	2.8
American Indian/Alaskan Native	6.0	2.8
Hispanic/Latino†	16.2	3.6
* Per 100,000 women and age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population † Hispanic/Latino data are not mutually exclusive from Whites, African Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders, or American Indian/Alaskan Natives Source: ACS, 2005; based on data from NCI SEER

Cervical cancer mortality increases with the age of women.

• Peak mortality for White women is between the ages of 45 and 70 years, and peak mortality for African American women is in their 70's.
• Mortality from cervical cancer is rare among women of all age groups who have regular screenings (NCI, 2005b).