Cancer Incidence - Cervical Cancer

Why Is This Important?

Invasive cervical cancer represents approximately 2% of all new cancer cases and 2% of all cancer deaths in New Mexican women. Regular screening with Pap tests and/or human papillomavirus (HPV) tests, as appropriate, can detect pre-cancers caused by HPV, which, when treated, can stop cervical cancer before it develops. Cervical cancer screening can also lead to earlier diagnosis of cervical cancer that may result in more effective treatment.

Definition

New cases of cervical cancer per 100,000 population (females) in New Mexico Cervical cancer incidence is defined as new cases of malignant cancer of the cervix uteri.

Data Sources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, CDC WONDER Online Database
  (http://wonder.cdc.gov)
• New Mexico Population Estimates: University of New Mexico, Geospatial and Population Studies (GPS) Program.
  (http://gps.unm.edu/)
• New Mexico Tumor Registry
  (https://nmtrweb.unm.edu/)

How the Measure is Calculated

How Are We Doing?

The overall New Mexico cervical cancer incidence rate of 7.5 new cases per 100,000 females over the most recent 5-year period (2011-2015) is slightly higher than the Healthy People 2020 goal of 7.3.

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

Historically, New Mexico has had a slightly higher cervical cancer incidence rate than the U.S., both of which have declined over the past several decades. In the most recent 5-year period (2011-2015), the overall New Mexico cervical cancer incidence rate of 7.5 new cases per 100,000 females is the same as the United States rate of 7.5.

What Is Being Done?

The New Mexico Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NMBCCP) is dedicated to improving access to high-quality, age-appropriate cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services for low-income women and transgender men who have a cervix and who are uninsured or under-insured. The NMBCCP also helps program participants access resources for treatment when necessary. To do this, the NMBCCP supports changes within provider practices and health systems to increase screening opportunities. In addition, data and surveillance systems, such as monitoring screening quality measures, are used to develop more organized, systematic approaches to cancer screening and to improve service delivery. These approaches are supported by the New Mexico Department of Health and are being implemented by many healthcare organizations and health systems throughout New Mexico. Visit the NMBCCP website at: http://archive.cancernm.org/bcc/index.html

Evidence-based Practices

The NMBCCP supports New Mexico health care providers and health systems in using evidence-based interventions such as patient reminders, risk assessment tools, reducing structural barriers (e.g., expanding clinic hours), provider reminder and recall systems, and provider assessment and feedback on performance. All of these activities have been shown to increase cervical cancer screening rates, and are recommended by The Guide to Community Preventive Services, a collection of evidence-based findings of the Community Preventive Services Task Force, established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Other Objectives

Other relevant HP2020 objectives: C-15: Increase the proportion of women who receive a cervical cancer screening based on the most recent guidelines

Available Services

The NMBCCP provides free cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services to New Mexico women and transgender men with a cervix who are ages 21 years and older, lack health insurance, and live at or below 250% of the federal poverty level. More information can be found online at http://archive.cancernm.org/bcc/index.html or by calling toll-free 1-877-852-2585.

More Resources

New Mexico Department of Health Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection (BCC) Program (http://archive.cancernm.org/bcc/index.html) U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, Cervical Cancer Screening website(https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/UpdateSummaryFinal/cervical-cancer-screening2) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/cervical/index.htm) Surveillance Epidemiology and End Result (SEER) Program (http://seer.cancer.gov/) New Mexico Tumor Registry (NMTR), University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine (http://nmtrweb.unm.edu/) National Cancer Institute (NCI) (www.cancer.gov) American Cancer Society (ACS) (www.cancer.org) New Mexico Cancer Council (NMCC) (http://www.nmcancercouncil.org/) Albuquerque Cancer Coalition (ACC) (https://acc.nmcca.org/) The National Library of Medicine (NLM) MedlinePlus (www.medlineplus.gov) Commission on Cancer (www.facs.org/quality-programs/cancer) Cancer Control P.L.A.N.E.T. (http://cancercontrolplanet.cancer.gov/) The Guide to Community Preventive Services (http://www.thecommunityguide.org/cancer/index.html) Research-tested Intervetion Programs (RTIPs) (http://rtips.cancer.gov/rtips/index.do)

Health Program Information

The NMBCCP endorses the cervical cancer screening recommendations of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). In 2018, the USPSTF recommendation for screening for cervical cancer states that screening should occur every 3 years with cervical cytology alone (e.g., a Pap test) in women aged 21 to 29 years. For women aged 30 to 65 years, the USPSTF recommends screening every 3 years with cervical cytology alone, every 5 years with high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) testing alone, or every 5 years with hrHPV testing in combination with cytology (cotesting). The USPSTF recommendation applies to all women who have a cervix, regardless of sexual history. It does not apply, however, to women who have received a diagnosis of a high-grade precancerous cervical lesion or cervical cancer, women with in utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol, or women who are immuno-compromised (such as those who are HIV positive). The USPSTF notes that screening with Pap tests or HPV testing can also sometimes lead to harms, mainly false positive screening results requiring additional diagnostic testing. Adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with treatment of screening-detected disease can also occur, although changes to screening guidelines for young women in recent years have been enacted to minimize this.