Nearly 500,000 women develop new cases and about 270,000 women die from cervical cancer each year. Due to the availability of screening, treatment, and resources in industrialized countries, cervical cancer disproportionately affects underserved populations in the U.S. and developing countries. Globally, 80 to 85% of deaths occur in low-income or middle-income countries.
International Incidence Patterns
Rates per 100,000 woman-years, age-adjusted using the world standard
Two necessary determinants of cervical cancer are persistent infection with oncogenic types of HPV and lack of effective screening for treatable precancerous lesions.
Stages of HPV Infection
NCI/Costa Rican Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccine Efficacy Trial
- This population-based, randomized, blinded clinical trial is evaluating the efficacy of an HPV16/18 (bivalent) virus-like particle vaccine to protect against the development of persistent HPV infections and high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.
- The study includes approximately 7,500 women from the Province of Guanacaste and portions of Puntarenas, Costa Rica, where the rates of cervical cancer are very high.
- Women were initially enrolled and followed for 4 years. Extension of follow-up to 10 years is now underway to assess the duration of protection and long-term effects of HPV vaccination.
HPV Testing to Improve Cervical Cancer Screening in the Mississippi Delta
- To address problems of access to cervical cancer screening programs for underserved women, this ongoing cross-sectional study was launched to validate self-sampling at home with mail-in "kits" and HPV DNA testing for cervical screening in four Mississippi counties.
