Longitudinal Gompertzian analysis of cervical cancer mortality in the US, 1962-1987: a method of quantitatively demonstrating changing environmental influences upon deterministic mortality dynamics

Abstract

Age-specific mortality rates for cervical cancer (CC) in the United States from 1962 through 1987 were subjected to longitudinal Gompertzian analysis. Age-specific CC mortality rate distributions for women display two distinct Gompertzian slopes, one between age 20 and 35 years and the other between age 40 and 85 years. These two distinct Gompertzian regions suggest that CC may be clinically and biologically classified into pre- and postmenopausal varieties, similar to breast cancer. Between 1962 and 1987, the annual crude CC mortality rate declined 60.0%. The basis for the decline of CC mortality is shown to be that aggregate environmental (etiopathogenic) influences upon premenopausal CC age-specific mortality rate distributions decreased 57.8%, and upon postmenopausal CC, decreased 28.0%.