Cervical cancer has a much greater impact on Indigenous women than other Australian women. Cervical cancer incidence is approximately three times higher for Indigenous than non-Indigenous women and mortality approximately five times higher.

Australia has had a nationally coordinated approach to cervical screening, the National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP) since the early 1990s, including Pap Test Registers (PTR) that provide data to monitor and evaluate cervical screening.

However, the registers do not record Indigenous status; consequently, no data on cervical screening for Indigenous women are available. It is not known whether screening participation rates for Indigenous women are improving over time, are higher in urban and remote areas or vary between states and territories; nor is it known whether Indigenous women with abnormal Pap tests receive adequate and timely follow-up and treatment. 

This  project will be the first national Australian study to assess the effectiveness of cervical cancer prevention, incidence and survival for Indigenous women, using data linkage of existing data sources: PTR, cancer register, hospital inpatient data. The study will investigate cervical screening participation, abnormalities and outcomes for Indigenous women, using national screening program performance indicators.