Each year in the United States, approximately 12,800 women are diagnosed with the disease, and 45,000 more with carcinoma in situ, an early-stage cervical cancer. Many thousands more are treated for a pre-cancerous condition known as dysplasia.

Causes and Risks - The cause of cervical cancer is unknown, but a variety of interacting factors are probably at fault. These include early sexual activity, multiple sex partners, and sexually transmitted diseases. Viruses associated with sexually transmitted diseases are also thought to play an important role, as are hygiene and douching practices. Smoking and a lower socioeconomic status may also be involved.

Prevention - The risk for cervical cancer can be lowered, to some extent, by limiting the number of sexual partners, using condoms, avoiding sexually transmitted diseases, and getting regular pap smears. Catching the disease early is simple and inexpensive, and in its early stages, cervical cancer can be completely cured.

What else can you do? If you are at least 15 years old, if you are sexually active, and if you are not having pap smears every year, do yourself this favor: make an appointment today for this important screening test. And ask your doctor for details on preventing cervical and other gynecological cancers.

Symptoms - How would you know if you have the disease? Symptoms include painless vaginal bleeding, an unusual vaginal discharge, and painful intercourse. But often, the only way you will know is by having a pap smear.

Detecting Cervical Cancer - The pap smear is a simple, accurate, inexpensive screening test used to identify the presence of abnormal cells in the cervix. To determine the extent of disease, a colposcope (magnifying device) is used to allow direct inspection and biopsy, or removal of a sample for microscopic examination. Since its introduction in the early 1950s, the pap smear has caused the death rate from cervical cancer to decrease dramatically. Today, the overall survival rate is 65 to 70 percent. If more women had regular pap smears, there would be fewer advanced cases and the overall cure rate would jump to over 90 percent.

Treatment - Treatment for cervical cancer is based on how advanced the disease is. For pre-cancerous conditions and very early-stage cancer, many options are available: biopsy, electrocautery, conization, cryotherapy, laser therapy, radiation therapy, and complete hysterectomy.

If the cancer is more advanced, then radiation therapy– or without chemotherapy, and even surgery– becomes necessary.