NEW ORLEANS – LSU Health New Orleans, in partnership with Louisiana Cancer Prevention and Control Programs (LCP) and other local and regional partners, today released the Bayou Blueprint: Louisiana’s Path to Ending Cervical Cancer (2026-2035). The plan represents a coordinated, data-driven roadmap developed in collaboration with healthcare providers, public health researchers, community organizations and cervical cancer survivors across the state.
The Louisiana Bayou Blueprint is one of only two cervical cancer elimination plans to be released in the Southeast region. It establishes measurable goals and evidence-based strategies to reduce Louisiana’s cervical cancer rate from 8.9 cases per 100,000 to fewer than 4 cases per 100,000 by 2035, meeting the World Health Organization’s definition for elimination.
“No one in Louisiana should die from cervical cancer. This is one of the most preventable cancers and, when caught early, highly treatable,” said Donna Williams, director of LCP and Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement with the LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center. “The Bayou Blueprint provides multiple entry points for action to guide responsive, localized efforts across the state. Everyone has a role to play in reducing the burden of this cancer.”
The Bayou Blueprint is structured around three pillars of cervical cancer elimination:
- Prevention Through HPV Vaccination. The plan aims to increase HPV vaccination completion rates among Louisiana adolescents ages 13 to 17 from the current 66.8% to 80% by 2035. HPV is the primary cause of nearly all cervical cancers.
- Screening and Early Detection. The Bayou Blueprint targets an increase in up-to-date cervical cancer screening among Louisiana women ages 21 to 65 from 73.8% to 80% by 2035.
- Follow-Up and Treatment. The initiative targets 80% adherence to follow-up care after abnormal screening results by 2035.
Despite relatively high cervical cancer screening rates, Louisiana ranks 7th in the U.S. for new cases of cervical cancer and 7th for deaths. Each year, about 215 people in Louisiana are diagnosed with cervical cancer. The state’s five-year survival rate of 64.4% falls below the national average of 67.3%, underscoring a critical gap between diagnosis and outcomes.
When examining Louisiana cervical cancer data by race, non-Hispanic Black women have the highest rate of new cancer cases (10.5 per 100,000), followed by Hispanic (9.8) and Asian women (9.2), compared with non-Hispanic White women (8.1). Mortality rates show even greater gaps: non-Hispanic Black women experience nearly double the death rate of non-Hispanic White women (4.1 vs. 2.3 per 100,000).
These disparities are further compounded by geography, as rural communities face significantly greater barriers to screening access, specialist availability and follow-up care.
“LSU Health New Orleans exists to improve the health of Louisiana’s communities through innovative research and education. As only the second plan to be released nationally, the Bayou Blueprint speaks to our unwavering commitment to that mission,” said Dr. David S. Guzick, Senior Vice Chancellor of LSU Health New Orleans. “The elimination of cervical cancer in Louisiana is achievable in our generation. We are proud to work alongside our partners to make this vision a reality.”
The Bayou Blueprint is aligned with the HPV Vaccination Roundtable of the Southeast, supported by the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program, to ensure consistency and strengthen regional collaboration. Louisiana’s is the second state-wide plan to be released in the United States, following Alabama’s OPERATION WIPE OUT, launched in 2023.
LCP, housed within the LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health and part of the LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center, has led statewide cancer prevention and control efforts for more than two decades and serves as the backbone organization for this initiative.
For more information on the Bayou Blueprint and the work of LCP, visit louisianacancer.org. To learn more about the services and research of LSU Health New Orleans, visit lsuhsc.edu.