Cervical cancer incidence in the United States by area of residence, 1998 2001.
OBJECTIVE
To examine differences in cervical cancer incidence rates among women in rural, suburban, and metropolitan areas of the United States.


METHODS
This study examined invasive cervical cancer incidence among women in United States counties classified as rural, suburban, and metropolitan for the period 1998-2001. We examined differences in incidence by age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, stage at diagnosis, and poverty level, using the Center for Disease Control and Prevention National Program of Cancer Registries, National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program and 2000 U.S. Census data.


RESULTS
A total of 39,946 cases of cervical cancer were included. Overall, the rates increased among younger women, peaked at ages 40-44 years, remained relatively constant in middle age, and decreased after age 69 years. Incidence rates were lower among residents of metropolitan areas than residents of rural areas, both overall and across groups defined by race, ethnicity, (localized) stage, and poverty level.


CONCLUSIONS
Rural women in the United States have higher cervical cancer incidence rates. Among older women (aged 45-80 years) in whom half of cervical cancers occur, geographic differences largely disappear after controlling for poverty and race.


METHODS
III.
Benard
Vicki B
VB
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Atlanta, Georgia 30341, USA. vdb9@cdc.gov
Coughlin
Steven S
SS
Thompson
Trevor
T
Richardson
Lisa C
LC
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002947:Cities; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011203:Poverty; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000473:pathology