Ethnic disparities

Start off by having a look at the Cervical Cancer Audit Report 2000-2002 that was commissioned by the MOH after the Gisbourne Enquiry. Below is a graph and some more recent statistics from the MOH comparing cervical cancer deaths for NZ Māori women with those in the rest of the population. Both the incidence of cervical cancer and death rates are higher. The Cervical Screening Guidelines also contain some graphs illustrating the inequities present. The 2010 BPAC document also shows that the cervical screening rates are also lower for PI and Asian women. This 2011 McLeod NZMJ article will also give some information into ways of achieving equitable outcomes as will another article by the same author in the Australia and New Zealand Journal of Public Health and this BPAC article. This paper HPV vaccine uptake for ethnic groups. compares the types of HPV found in different ethnic groups in New Zealand and gives some hope that the HPV vaccine may help improve inequities.

Age standardised incidence rates of cervical cancer by ethnicity 

In 2016: 

• 180 new cases of cervical cancer were registered 
• Age standardised incidence rates: 
• 11.9/100,000 Māori women 
• 4.5/100,000 non-Māori women

In 2015: 

• 142 new cases of cervical cancere were registered 
• Age standardised incidence rates: 
• 9.3/100,000 Māori women 
• 4.9/100,000 Non-Māori women 

Source: https://www.health.govt.nz/publication/selected-cancers-2014-2015-2016 

Cumulative relative survival for cervical cancer by ethnic group in New Zealand, 1994-2011 

Source: Data from https://www.health.govt.nz/publication/cancer-patient-survival-1994-2011