An Epidemiological Study of Cervical Cancer Trends among Women with Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine cervical cancer among women with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and to discuss targeted strategies to reduce the risk of developing cervical cancer. This study used retrospective data from surveillance reports collected between January 2001 and December 2012. Women with HIV/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) were linked through a crosswalk file to Florida’s cancer registry database to determine which women developed cervical cancer during this period. We examined the cervical cancer trends using age-adjusted cervical cancer rates to examine the changes over time; the geographic variations in cervical cancer and HIV across service areas using a Geographic Information System (GIS); and finally, the cervical cancer rates among women with HIV compared with the cervical cancer rates in the general population. The results show that, over time, the cervical cancer rates in women with HIV/AIDS decreased; however, we detected increases in the cervical cancer rates among women in the general population. The findings of this study show that more work is required to address cervical cancer. This growing burden of cervical cancer implies that targeted interventions are imperative to improving the health status of women with cervical cancer. If properly addressed, the potential to reduce and prevent cervical cancer is achievable.