Cervical Cancer: Preventable Deaths Among American Indian/Alaska Native Communities.

American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) individuals have twice the mortality rate of cervical cancer than the general US population. Participation in prevention programs such as cervical cancer screening and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination are under-utilized in this population. There are high rates of established cervical cancer risk factors among this community, with AI/AN people having a higher likelihood of infection with high-risk HPV strains not included in the 9-valent vaccine. There is a need for more robust and urgent prevention and treatment efforts in regard to cervical cancer in the AI/AN community.