Cancer Screening and Treatment in Women: Recent Findings: Program Brief

Cancer Screening and Treatment in Women: Recent Findings
Program Brief
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This program brief summarizes findings from Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)-supported research projects focused on cancer in women published January 2006 through December 2009.

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href="http://www.ahrq.gov/research/cancerwom.pdf">http://www.ahrq.gov/research/cancerwom.pdf
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Contents
Introduction
AHRQ-Sponsored Research
Breast Cancer
Cervical Cancer
Breast and Cervical/Ovarian Cancer
Other Cancers
Cancer Screening and Diagnosis
More Information

Introduction
Breast cancer continues to be the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the United States. In 2008, an estimated 182,400 U.S. women were newly diagnosed with breast cancer, and more than 40,000 women died from the disease.

The good news is that breast cancer deaths have declined in recent years among white women in this country; the bad news is that over the same period, survival has decreased among black women. Although between 12 and 29 percent more white women than black women are stricken with breast cancer, black women are 28 percent more likely to die from the disease. The 5-year breast cancer survival rate is 69 percent for black women, compared with 85 percent for white women.

In 2008, there were an estimated 11,000 newly diangosed cases of invasive cervical cancer in U.S. women, and about 3,900 women died from the disease. Cervical cancer occurs most often among minority women, particularly Asian-American (Vietnamese and Korean), Alaska Native, and Hispanic women. Although deaths from cervical cancer have declined substantially over the past 30 years, the cervical cancer death rate for black women continues to be more than twice that of white women. The chance of dying of cervical cancer increases as women get older. Worldwide, cervical cancer is the second or third most common cancer among women, and in some developing countries, it is the most common cancer.

Women who have never had a Pap test or who have not had one for several years have a higher than average risk of developing cervical cancer. Many women still do not have regular Pap tests, particularly older women, uninsured women, minorities, poor women, and women living in rural areas. About half of the women with newly diagnosed invasive cervical cancer have not had a Pap test in the previous 5 years.

full-text:
Cancer Screening and Treatment in Women: Recent Findings: Program Brief