Cervical Cancer - Prevention

According to the American Cancer Society, 40,100 cases of cervical cancer will diagnosed among American women in 2003. An estimated 4,100 women in the US will succumb to the disease.

Although many risk factors can be avoided, it is important to keep in mind that avoiding risk factors does not guarantee that you will not get cancer. Also, most people with a particular risk factor for cancer do not actually get the disease. Some people are more sensitive than others to factors that can cause cancer. Talk to your doctor about methods of preventing cancer that might be effective for you.

AUTHOR: Rachael Myers Lowe

Taken from: Cancer Page

Cervical Cancer - Cervical Cancer Treatments - The risk factors for cervical cancer are:

• Infection with human papilloma virus or HPV, the cause of genital warts. Types 16, 18, 45 and 56 are thought to be especially dangerous. But not all women who have HPV infection develop cervical cancer. Scientists believe that certain other factors they call co-factors are involved in its development. One co-factor is smoking. Tobacco use damages the immune system and interferes with the body's ability to resist HPV infection in the cervix.
• Early age at first sexual intercourse.
• Multiple sexual partners and/or partners who have multiple partners.
• In the early 1970's, it was discovered that women whose mothers took an estrogen drug during pregnancy called DES (diethylstilbestrol) are at risk of a rare form of cervical and vaginal cancer. This drug was used from 1938 until 1971 - and was sometimes combined with prenatal vitamins in the mistaken belief that it prevented miscarriages. For more information go to the DES Action web page.
• There is a small increased risk of abnormal Pap smears among women who take birth control pills. It is thought that this is because such women are more sexually active, are less likely to use condoms, and have more frequent Pap smears in order to be prescribed the birth control pill.
• Women whose immune systems are weakened -- such as those with HIV infection or women who have received organ transplants and are taking drugs to suppress the immune system -- may be at a higher risk.
• Infections with genital herpes or chronic chlamydia infections, both sexually transmitted diseases, may increase risk
• Poor women may be at higher risk because they are not able to afford regular pap smears.

Worldwide, cervical cancer is the third most common type of cancer in women. It is much less common in the US, where it has been declining. This is due almost entirely to the use of the Pap smear, which has reduced the death rate from this disease by 70% since it was introduced in 1941.

Taken from: Access Atlanta Health Encyclopedia

Cervical Cancer - Informative Links on Cervical Cancer

Cancer.com - This site offers pages of links categorized by topic, such as types of cancer, prevention & detection, current therapy, etc.

Cancer Source - This site offers video tutorials, along with text information, on Cervical Cancer at different levels, from introductory to advanced.

Cancer Page - This site has information, along with FAQ's, Newsletters, Stories & Experiences and Support Group chats for Cervical Cancer.

National Cancer Institute - This site includes up-to-date information on detection, symptoms, diagnosis, treatments and side effects, support, follow-up care, and much, much more

National HPV and Cervical Cancer Campaign - Offers pages on FAQ's, Patient Information, Understanding Pap Tests, Press Releases and more.

National Cervical Cancer Coalition - With links on health news, cancer survivors, patient information, human papillomavirus, and more.

National HPV and Cervical Cancer Prevention Resource Center - The American Social Health Association (ASHA) created the National HPV and Cervical Cancer Prevention Resource Center to address the lack of nationally available HPV and cervical cancer prevention information and resources.

The Cancer Info - A link with many articles and pages on different aspects of cervical cancer, such as diagnostic, symptoms, prevention, etc.

Reproductive Health Online - Contains reading material on Cervical cancer and related links.

Medicine Net - Links with information on many aspects of Cervical Cancer, including what is the cervix, what is cancer, what are the symptoms of cancer of the cervix, how is cancer of the cervix diagnosed, and many more.

Cervical Cancer - More Research and Studies