Are Asian American women more at risk of cervical cancer?

One of our health writers pointed out that all women are at risk for cervical cancer, but some studies show that Asian American and Pacific Islander (API) women are at greater risk. We also know that API women are among the least likely to get recommended cervical cancer screenings (Pap test). This may be due to the widespread misconception that API women are not at risk for this disease. More on this health issue below.

* All women are at risk for cervical cancer. It occurs most often in women aged 40 years and older. In 2004, 11,892 women in the United States were told they had cervical cancer, and 3,850 died from the disease.1

* The cervical cancer incidence rate by race for API women (8.0 per 100,000) was lower than other races, when compared as group to non-Hispanic White (8.5 per 100,000), Black (11.4 per 100,000), and Hispanic (13.8 per 100,000) from 2000-2004.2

* Yet, ethnic-specific studies reveal cervical cancer incidence rates are among the highest in the nation for certain API populations, such as Laotian (24.8 per 100,000), Samoan (18.1 per 100,000), Vietnamese (16.8 per 100,000) and Cambodian (15.3 per 100,000) women.3

* Mortality rates for cervical cancer have increased among foreign-born women. Of particular concern is that 70% of the API population is foreign-born.4 Also, API women have the lowest cervical cancer screening rates in the nation. In 2003, 67.8% of API women reported having a Pap test within the past three years compared to 80.1 % of non-Hispanic White women.5 The highest rates of never receiving a Pap test occur among women from Asia, Southeast Asia, and India.

Tiffany, our new health and wellness writer will be exploring this subject in more detail. In the meantime, please see all information and facts about cervical cancer here: Cervical cancer information