--- title: Cervical Cancer Deaths Rates Are Higher Than Thought: Study description: Cervical cancer kills more women in the U.S. than health experts have previously believed, according to a new study. canonical: https://time.com/4643570/cervical-cancer-death-rates-study/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-23T18:50:01.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T10:38:38.695Z article:section: Health og:title: Cervical Cancer Deaths Rates Are Much Higher Than Previously Thought: Study og:description: Especially among black women og:url: https://time.com/4643570/cervical-cancer-death-rates-study/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt38df234f21c67e6e/6988b6cd97cdff0c1a6af363/cervical-cancer.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: cervical-cancer og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Cervical Cancer Deaths Rates Are Much Higher Than Previously Thought: Study twitter:description: Especially among black women twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt38df234f21c67e6e/6988b6cd97cdff0c1a6af363/cervical-cancer.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Cervical Cancer Deaths Rates Are Much Higher Than Previously Thought, Study Says  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Jan 23, 2017 6:50 PM UTC  Light micrograph of a vaginal smear showing cancer cells (large pink cells with purple nuclei). Light micrograph of a vaginal smear showing cancer cells (large pink cells with purple nuclei).CNRI  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Jan 23, 2017 6:50 PM UTC Cervical cancer kills more women in the U.S. than health experts have previously believed, [according to a new study](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.30507/full). Researchers have found that the rate of death from cervical cancer is much higher than what has been reported, particularly among black women. The mortality rate for black women was 10.1 per 100,000, compared to 4.7 per 100,000 for white women, according to the study published Monday in the journal _Cancer_. The rate for black women who are 85 and over was even higher, at 37.2 deaths per 100,000, the study found. Previous estimates put the death rate of cervical cancer at 5.7 per 100,000 black women and 3.2 per 100,000 white women. “This shows that our disparities are even worse than we feared,” Dr. Kathleen Schmeler, an associate professor of gynecologic oncology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, told the [New York _Times_](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/23/health/cervical-cancer-united-states-death-toll.html). “We have screenings that are great, but many women in America are not getting them.” The corrected rates come after researchers [reevaluated the figures](http://time.com/95979/cervical-cancer-rates/), keeping in mind women involved who have had hysterectomies — operations to remove the cervix. [Cervical cancer](https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/cervical/index.htm) is highly preventable with vaccinations to prevent the human papillomavirus ([HPV](https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/whatishpv.html)), which is the most common cause of cervical cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 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