Despite being preventable and curable, cervical cancer continues to pose a significant health threat in the United States, with about 11,500 new cases and 4,000 deaths annually. The Biden administration has announced new measures to combat the disease, including a self-testing initiative for human papillomavirus (HPV), the primary cause of cervical cancer.
The U.S. is struggling to meet the World Health Organization’s 2030 targets for eliminating cervical cancer, with only 61.7% of teenage girls up to date on their HPV vaccine doses in 2022. Health equity issues and low vaccination rates are major obstacles, particularly affecting women in rural and low-income areas.
A recent study by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center revealed a concerning trend: cervical cancer incidence and deaths are rising among low-income women in rural areas. Non-Hispanic white women in low-income counties have seen a 4.4% increase in cervical cancer occurrences since 2007. Black women experienced the largest increase in cervical cancer deaths, at 2.9% annually since 2013, despite declining cancer incidence rates.
The administration’s self-sampling initiative for HPV testing aims to increase screening accessibility, especially for women in rural areas. Heather White, executive director of TogetHER for Health, called this initiative “a real game changer” for U.S. efforts to combat HPV.
Congress is working to reauthorize the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, with a proposed funding increase to $275 million per year. This program is crucial for providing low-income Americans access to timely cancer screening and treatment services.
Globally, efforts to eliminate cervical cancer are also lagging, with only 21% of women worldwide having received a single dose of the HPV vaccine by the end of 2022, far short of the 90% target set for 2030.
See “Vaccine skepticism, equity issues hinder cervical cancer fight” (February 1, 2024)
