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Comparative Study
. 2004 Apr 10;109(3):418-24.
doi: 10.1002/ijc.11719.

Cervical cancer as a priority for prevention in different world regions: an evaluation using years of life lost

Binh H Yang  1 , Freddie I Bray, D Maxwell Parkin, John W Sellors, Zuo-Feng Zhang
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Cervical cancer as a priority for prevention in different world regions: an evaluation using years of life lost

Binh H Yang et al. Int J Cancer. .

Abstract

The relative importance of cancer of the cervix among several important causes of mortality (from cancer and other diseases) has been evaluated by estimating the years of life lost (YLL) by young and middle-aged women (25-64 years old) in different regions of the world. The life years were weighted to reflect their importance to the individual and to society. On a global basis, cancer of the cervix is responsible for about 2% of the total (weighted) YLL, fewer than for other causes of mortality in this age group. However, it is the most important cause of YLL in Latin America and the Caribbean. It also makes the largest contribution to YLL from cancer in the populous regions of SubSaharan Africa and South-Central Asia where the actual risk of loss of life from this cause is higher, although overshadowed by noncancer deaths (from AIDS, TB and maternal conditions). The overall picture is not very sensitive to the age weighting function used. The fact that most of the loss of life is preventable, and that simple technologies have been developed that make this practicable, means that cervical cancer has an even higher profile from the perspective of resource allocation in low income settings.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Map showing the 13 world areas studied and the population sizes of women aged 25–64 years in 2000.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The recommended and modified age-weighting functions.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Cause-specific total years of life lost among women aged 25–64 years for developing and developed countries, in 2000.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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