--- 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=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2128 og:image:height: 1197 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=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Cervical Cancer Deaths Rates Are Much Higher Than Previously Thought, Study Says > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators.  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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