Disparities in 5-year relative survival rates of cervical cancer by age and stage at diagnosis between African Americans and Whites, in the USA, from 2016 to 2022

BACKGROUND: The overall five-year relative survival rates (RSRs) for cervical cancer in the USA are about 67%, varying significantly by stage at diagnosis. Localized cervical cancer has a higher survival rate, approximately 91%, while later stages (regional or distant) have lower rates, with the regional stage it is 62% and the distant stage it is 19%. OBJECTIVE: To compare differences in cervical cancer RSRs by age and stage at diagnosis between African Americans and Whites in the U.S. METHODS: Using data from the 2016 to 2022 SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) database, we analyzed 356 African Americans and 4,612 Whites diagnosed with cervical cancer. RSRs compared African Americans and Whites by age and stage at diagnosis using SEER*Stat software. RESULTS: At the localized stage, Whites aged 15-44 had an RSR of 97.1% (95% CI, 95.5-98.2), consistently higher than African Americans, except those aged 45-54 and 55-64, who had slightly higher RSRs at 94.6% and 91.6% (95% CIs: 77.0-98.8 and 65.2-98.2), respectively. At the regional stage, Whites had better survival overall, with an RSR of 60.7% (95% CI, 50.3-69.5). The exception was African Americans aged 75 and older, who had a higher RSR of 56.2% (95% CI, 0.2-94.9) than Whites in the same age group. At the distant stage, both African Americans and Whites aged 15-44 had similar lower RSRs of 31.5% (95% CI, 19.8-30.1). African Americans aged 55-64 and 65-74 had higher RSRs of 22.6% and 25.3% (95% CIs: 9.10-39.7 and 6.2-50.6) than their White counterparts. Among those aged 75 and older, Whites had a higher RSR (7.4%, 95% CI: 1.9-17.9). For cases with an unknown stage, Whites aged 15-44 had an RSR of 91% (95% CI, 73.5-97.2), again higher than African Americans. However, African Americans aged 45-54 had a higher RSR of 67.3% (95% CI, 5.1-94.9) compared to Whites in the same age group. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Significant disparities in cervical cancer RSRs exist by race, age, and stage. Overall, African Americans had lower RSRs than Whites, underscoring persistent disparities in cervical cancer outcomes among these two groups.