January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Every year in the US, about 13,300 new cases of invasive cervical cancer are diagnosed and about 4,300 women die of this cancer. Diagnosis of cervical precancers is far more common than invasive cervical cancer. Today, we will talk more about this important cancer and why awareness and prevention strategies are so vital.
What Is Cervical Cancer?
The cervix is the lower, narrow part of the uterus, which connects the uterus to the vagina. It plays an important role in women’s reproductive health. Cervical cancer is a disease in which cells in the cervix mutate and grow out of control. While cervical cancer can be serious, it is also one of the most preventable and treatable types of cancer, especially when caught early.
Most cases of cervical cancer develop slowly over time, starting with precancerous changes in the cells lining the cervix. These changes can often be found and treated before they turn into cancer, making regular check-ups and screenings vital for women’s health.
How Common is Cervical Cancer?
As I mentioned previously, about 13,300 new cases of invasive cervical cancer are diagnosed in the US every year. This equates to about 7.5 cases per 100,000 women
Cervical cancer incidence rates and death rates decreased by about half from the mid-1970s to the mid-2000s (around 2012), largely because of the increased use of screening. From 2012-2019, rates declined 11% each year for women ages 20 to 24, probably reflecting the first signs of cancer prevention from HPV vaccination. Although, incidence increased slightly in older women during the same time period.
What Is HPV and Why Does It Matter?
Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a group of related viruses that are extremely common. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that nearly everyone who is sexually active will get HPV at some point in their lives, although most people never know they have it because it often goes away on its own. HPV can cause changes or mutations in the cells of the cervix, which significantly increase the risk of cervical cancer. There are many different types of HPV, but only a few are known to cause cervical cancer.
HPV spreads primarily through intimate skin-to-skin contact. While most HPV infections cause no symptoms and resolve naturally, some high-risk types can lead to health problems like cervical cancer.
Understanding the link between HPV and cervical cancer is crucial because taking steps to prevent and detect HPV can greatly reduce your risk of developing cervical cancer.
What Are the Risk Factors for Cervical Cancer?
The main risk factor for cervical cancer is infection with high-risk types of HPV. However, other factors can increase your risk as well. Risk factors include:
- Infection with high-risk types of HPV
- Starting sexual activity at an early age
- Having multiple sexual partners
- Smoking
- Having a weakened immune system
- Long-term use of birth control pills (risk decreases after stopping their use)
It is important to remember that having one or more risk factors does not mean you will definitely get cervical cancer. Regular screenings and healthy habits can help protect you, even if you have risk factors.
Next week, we will continue our discussion about cervical cancer, with a focus on prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment.
If you have any questions about cervical cancer, please log into your account and send us your question. We are here to help.
Dr. Anita Bennett MD – Health Tip Content Editor