Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is a malignancy of the cervix. It may present with vaginal bleeding but symptoms may be absent until the cancer is in its advanced stages, which has made cervical cancer the focus of intense screening efforts utilizing the Pap smear. In developed countries, the widespread use of cervical screening programs has reduced the incidence of invasive cervical cancer, by 50% or more. Most scientific studies have found that human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is responsible for virtually all cases of cervical cancer. Treatment consists of surgery (including local excision) in early stages and chemotherapy and radiotherapy in advanced stages of the disease. An effective HPV vaccine against the two most common cancer-causing strains of HPV has recently been licenced in the US (see Vaccine section, below). These two HPV strains together are responsible for approximately 70% of all cervical cancers. Experts recommend that women combine the benefits of both programs by seeking regular Pap smear screening, even after vaccination.