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Even with an annual Pap smear test and the new vaccination for young women, cervical cancer can’t be totally prevented. But there are some things you can do to reduce your risk of developing cancer of the cervix.
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Vaginal cancer is a relatively rare disorder, comprising about 2% to 3% of all gynecologic cancers. Approximately 2,400 women are diagnosed each year with vaginal cancer in the United States.
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The chance of getting ovarian cancer increases as a woman gets older. Ovarian cancer occurs in women over the age of 50 and the highest risk is in women over 60.
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Uterine cancer is the most common of all cancers in the female reproductive system. It can either form in the inner lining of the uterus or the outer layer of muscle tissue.
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Thought to be caused by a problem with the genetic information transmitted between an egg and sperm, molar pregnancy can develop during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Testimonials
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When Jan Holsclaw found out she had ovarian cancer, she was referred to Dr. Bigsby at Florida Hospital Cancer Institute for surgery and treatment. With reassuring words and...
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TV Personality Jan C. Garavaglia, M.D., (aka "Dr. G") is the chief medical examiner for the District Nine (Orange-Osceola) Medical Examiner's Office in Florida. When she... -
Bonnie has helped to raise millions of dollars for ovarian cancer research taking place at National Cancer Institute (NCI), Department of Defense (DOD), Centers for Disease...
Cervical Cancer Facts
The root cause of cervical cancer is severe changes in the cells of the cervix that are abnormal. Most of these changes occur in the transformation zone where cells are in a constant state of change. During this process of change, some cells can mutate due to an infection with high-risk forms of human papillomaviruses (HPVs), which is also known to cause skin and genital warts.
Other factors can increase the risk of cancer of the cervix, including:
A history of smoking. Studies have shown a correlation between smoking or a history of smoking and HPV infections. Smoking appears to make infections last longer, creating opportunities for the virus to infect the cells in the transformation zone. It’s far more likely cervical cell changes will go away on their own in non-smokers than smokers.
An impaired immune system. Women with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are more likely to get cervical cancer.
Long-term use of birth control pills. Some studies have shown that the use of birth control pills for more than five years can increase the incidence of cancer of the cervix.
These factors do not result in cancer of the cervix. Rather, when combined with an HPV infection, they are likely to create an environment for the cells in the transformation zone to become infected with HPV, which can lead to cervical cancer.
Cervical Cancer Statistics
At one time, cervical cancer was a leading cause of death in the United State. However, in the last 40 years, the number of cases and the number of deaths has dropped significantly. Today, cancer of the cervix is considered a ‘rare’ disease by the National Institute of Health, thanks to the prevalence of early testing through annual Pap tests.
That’s not to say that cervical cancer isn’t a serious issue facing families in the U.S. Every hour a woman in America is told she has cervical cancer – approximately 13,000 women a year.
Though incidences of cervical cancer remain low overall, it continues to be considerably higher for African American and Hispanic women.