Story Behind the Curve: The survival rate measures how long a patient lives after their initial diagnosis. Relative survival is the ratio of a patient’s chance of surviving a given time interval to that of a person of the same age and sex in the general US population. The five-year relative survival rate for women diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2010-2015 in Connecticut was 70%.

Date of next data update: Aug 15th, 2024

Potential Partners
Connecticut Department of Public Health; Connecticut Department of Social Services; Connecticut Department of
Energy and Environmental Protection; State Department of Education; Connecticut Department of Agriculture;
Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; Office of the Healthcare Advocate; local public
health agencies; laboratories; health care providers including oncology nurses, oncologists, community health
centers, hospitals, visiting nurse associations, palliative care and hospice providers, health professional
associations; health insurers; pharmaceutical companies; business and business associations; American Cancer
Society; other organizations and coalitions that focus on cancer prevention and control; patient advocates; cancer
survivors, community service providers for families, youths, and seniors; philanthropic and research organizations
that address cancer prevention and control; schools of public health, allied health, nursing, and medicine; faith-based
organizations; food industry; farmer’s markets organizations; food advocacy groups; and others.

Early detection of cervical cancer through Pap test screening has been determined to reduce mortality. Screening tests can find cancer at an early stage, before symptoms appear, when it can be treated more easily. In addition to detecting cancer early, screening for cervical cancer can prevent these cancers by identifying precancerous lesions that can be removed. When precancerous lesions are detected, the likelihood for survival is nearly 100% with appropriate evaluation, treatment, and follow-up.

To ensure that all women who are age-appropriate receive the needed screening services, the Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends:

• evidence-based client reminder systems
• small media targeted at specific populations in selected geographic locations
• one-on-one education
• evidence-based health care provider reminder systems
• evidence-based health care provider assessment and feedback systems

Potential Strategies

• Conduct public education and outreach initiatives to female and males ages 13-17 on the importance of three-dose HPV vaccination, through peer-to-peer education
• Collaborate with large health systems including pediatricians to implement evidence-based client reminder systems, and provider assessment and feedback systems to improve completion of HPV vaccinations
• Utilize community health workers to conduct one-on-one and group education about the importance of cervical cancer screening at regular intervals, to assist with reducing structural barriers, and to provide support during treatment
• Utilize clinical health navigators to provide care coordination and patient navigation services to help all women with positive results get appropriate follow-up care, to assist with reducing structural barriers related to that follow-up care, and to provide support during treatment
• Collaborate with partners to increase availability of no-cost or low-cost Pap tests and HPV tests, and funding resources for treatment costs
• Conduct targeted education and outreach initiatives in areas with invasive cervical cancer diagnoses