Differential impact of cervical cancer in immigrant women: a decade-long epidemiological study in the Marche Region, Italy

Background: Cervical cancer is primarily caused by persistent human papilloma virus (HPV) infections, with significant disparities observed in its burden, especially affecting immigrant populations from high HPV prevalence regions. This study evaluates the incidence and severity of cervical cancer in immigrant women in the Marche region, Italy, from 2010 to 2019.

Methods: We employed a detailed analysis of population-based data from the Marche Cancer Registry using the age-standardised incidence rates (IRs) and Poisson regression models for in situ cervical cancer (ISCC) and infiltrating cervical cancer (ICC).

Results: The IRs for ICC and ISCC among immigrant women are alarmingly higher compared with their Italian counterparts; IR for ICC in immigrant women is 26.5 per 100 000 women-years, compared with 7.9 in Italian women. For ISCC, the IR is 55.1 for immigrants versus 29.2 for Italians.Immigrant women showed a median age at diagnosis for ICC of 49 years, almost a decade younger than Italian women, and they were more likely to have squamous cell histology, which is linked to high-risk HPV strains.

Conclusions: The study reveals a substantially higher incidence of both ISCC and ICC among immigrant women with ICC diagnosed 8 years previously. These findings underscore the pressing need for culturally and linguistically tailored public health interventions, including improved access to screening and vaccination for HPV, to address the elevated risk and earlier onset of cervical cancer in immigrant women in Italy. The study highlights the critical role of preventive measures in reducing health disparities and enhancing the efficacy of public health policies.