Disparities in Cervical Cancer Care Spur Development of Targeted

Interventions

Jul 26, 2005

A new report from the National Cancer Institute says that although nearly

all deaths from cervical cancer are preventable, the disease will kill

nearly 4,000 women in the United States this year, most of whom, experts

say, will be African-American women in the South, Hispanics along the

Texas-Mexico border, white women in Appalachia and the rural Northeast,

and Vietnamese immigrants, the Associated Press reports. Observers say the

findings are "a red flag for other health disparities" because the same

populations and locations have elevated rates of breast and colorectal

cancers, stroke and infant mortality. In response to the disparities in

cervical cancer, a $25 million federal program has been created to assist

underserved communities in promoting annual Pap testing. The AP notes that

the "most invasive" forms of cervical cancer typically are found in women

who have not been tested in five years. In addition, the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) REACH 2010 project is providing $35

million in grants this year to fund programs that reduce disparities in

cervical cancer care and five other conditions. Meanwhile, CDC funding

recently helped a physician at the University of California-San Francisco

launch a program that provides free Pap tests to Vietnamese women living

in Santa Clara County. The program is called Suc Khoe La Vang, meaning

"health is gold" in Vietnamese, and provides Vietnamese physicians with

classes on cervical cancer and trains "lay health workers" to educate

their friends and family about the importance of Pap tests. The program's

founder says it has helped "significantly" increase Pap testing in the

community (Neergaard, AP/Long Island Newsday, 7/26/05).

Luanne Nyberg

Planning, Policy & Quality Assurance

Hennepin County

Human Services and Public Health Department

ph 612-596-7709

fx 612-348-9077