Health Indicator Report of Cancer - Cervical Cancer Mortality

Notes

Click on the icon to the lower right of the graph to display confidence intervals. [[br]] Rates are age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population. [[br]] Numerator is the number of cases. [[br]] Rates based on fewer than 20 occurrences are statistically unreliable and should be used with caution. [[br]] Statistics based on fewer than 6 occurrences are not reported for personal confidentiality and denoted by **.

Data Interpretation Issues

Cancer cases do not include in situ. Mortality rates may vary from source to source. This may be due to using provisional data or using different population databases. The cancer mortality rates provided by the [http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/chronic/pages/cancer/registry.aspx Alaska Cancer Registry] use population estimates provided by the [http://seer.cancer.gov/ Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER)] of the [http://www.cancer.gov/ National Cancer Institute]. In contrast, [http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/VitalStats/Pages/data/default.aspx Alaska Vital Statistics] uses [http://live.laborstats.alaska.gov/pop/index.cfm population estimates] provided by the State Demographer in the [http://laborstats.alaska.gov/ Research and Analysis Section] of the [http://labor.alaska.gov/ Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development].

Definition

Rate of mortality from cervical cancer per 100,000 females.

Numerator

Number of deaths due to cervical cancer for a specific time period.

Denominator

Mid-year female resident population for a specific time period.

Healthy People Objective: Reduce the death rate from cancer of the uterine cervix

U.S. Target: 2.2 deaths per 100,000 females

How Are We Doing?

The number of cervical cancer deaths in Alaska is relatively low, averaging about 6 per year. Due to the low numbers, rates of death cannot be calculated for all years. Cervical cancer was the 21st leading cause of cancer deaths in Alaska during 2012-2016. In Alaska for the period of 1996-2016, cervical cancer mortality ranged from a high of 6.2 per 100,000 females in Bethel Census Area to a low of 1.6 per 100,000 females in Kenai Peninsula Borough, compared to the statewide rate of 1.9. Because of the low number of cervical cancer deaths statewide, most of the borough/census areas had less than 6 cases, so rates were not calculated. By race for 1996-2016, Alaska Native women had a higher cervical cancer mortality rate than other races at 3.3 per 100,000 females, compared to 1.7 for White females and 1.3 for Asians/Pacific Islander females. Black women had less than 6 deaths, so rates could not be calculated.

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

Where rates of death from cervical cancer can be calculated, they are similar to U.S. rates, which decrease with time. In 2013, Alaska's cervical cancer mortality rate was 2.3 per 100,000 females compared with the U.S. rate of 2.3 in 2015.

Available Services

Alaska's Breast & Cervical Health Check program (BCHC) provides breast and cervical health screening services to women who meet certain income guidelines, who do not have insurance, who cannot meet their insurance deductible, or whose insurance does not pay for breast and cervical health screening services. Health screening services are provided by doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, mammography technicians and radiologists all throughout the state. Call 1-800-410-6266 to find the screening services nearest you.