This year, over 10,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer. Approximately 3,900 will die from the disease.
Cervical cancer is the fifth-leading cause of cancer death in women and usually effects women between 30 and 55 years of age.
Cervical cancer usually starts to form in the cervix and can take many years to develop.
The human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common cause of cervical cancer, can infect the cervix during sexual intercourse. The virus is fairly common in women who have had sex - an estimated 3 in 4 people will contract HPV in their lifetime. Although not all develop cervical cancer, HPV is the primary cause of cervical cancer.
Women who smoke put themselves at a higher risk of developing cervical cancer.
Depending on the cancer, treatment varies from surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy to a combination of the three.
Regular Pap tests and screenings are the best ways to prevent cervical cancer, as precancerous cells in cervix tissue can usually be detected by Pap tests.
When detected early enough, cervical cancer is one of the most successfully treatable cancers, which makes regular screenings and Pap tests all the more important.
HPV Vaccine Information:
In June of 2006, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Gardasil, which is the first vaccine against human papillomavirus.
The drug protects women against the two strains of HPV responsible for nearly 70 percent of all cervical cancers.
The clinical trials involved 21,000 women and teenage girls and was nearly 100 percent effective in preventing pre-cancerous changes caused by these two strains.
The vaccine also protects against other strains responsible for 90 percent of genital warts cases and may protect against other pre-cancers, as well.
The vaccine is given over a six-month period as a series of three separate shots.
During the clinical trials some patients experienced only mild side effects, such as pain or tederness at the injection site.
Ask your physician or OB/GYN for more information about HPV vaccines.
