5 Facts You Didn’t Know About Cervical Cancer

Did you know that nearly 12,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer this year? Sadly, this is also one of the most preventable types of cancer.

 

In case you didn’t know, January is honored as Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. This makes it an opportune time to talk about this fairly common disease. Here are just a few things that you might not know about cervical cancer or the human papilloma virus (HPV), for that matter.

1) Most Cases of Cervical Cancer Traced to HPV

The human papillomavirus is a very common type of sexually transmitted infection. Studies have shown that nearly 20 million Americans between the ages of 15 and 49 have contracted it. In fact, Planned Parenthood has reported that most sexually active people can expect to come in contact with the virus at some point (yikes!).

Most cases of HPV will wind up resolving themselves without the need for excess treatment. However, some types can trigger the development of cervical cancer in women.

2) Patients can Contract HPV Without Having Sex

The reality is that HPV is transmitted via genital skin-to-skin contact. Penetration is not required in order to pass along this virus. Studies have shown that HPV can be transmitted during oral sex– though it’s much more rare.

3) Cervical Cancer Develops Over Years

HPV may produce abnormal cells which can then trigger cervical cancer. These alterations can be spotted and dealt with swiftly if these issues are identified early and treated. Pap tests are extremely important and should be performed regularly. They will identify cancerous cell growth prior to becoming full blown cancer.

Here’s how we like to break down these cervical cancer screening guidelines:

• Women in their twenties should be getting a routine Pap test at least once every three years.
• Women ages 30 to 64 should also have a Pap test once every three years– or Pap and HPV test every five years.

4) Cervical Cancer Produces Symptoms but HPV Doesn’t

The abnormal cell alterations won’t produce symptoms if it’s HPV; a woman may not feel anything is wrong until she has cervical cancer. The symptoms of cervical cancer can include:

• Pain during sex
• Vaginal bleeding
• Bleeding when contact is made with the cervix
• Vaginal discharge that is stained with blood.

5) HPV Vaccine Protects against Future Infections

The HPV vaccine doesn’t directly attack cervical cancer— it protects against the virus itself. Women protected against this infection are much less likely to develop this type of disease. The vaccine was approved for women (not pregnant) under the age of 26. Cervical cancer clinical trials have shown that it is almost 100 percent effective in prohibiting diseases that would result from high-risk strains.

There are currently several important clinical trials being conducted in California for cervical cancer. January may be a good time to learn more about how you can get involved in some of this groundbreaking research. Hopefully this highly preventable form of cancer will soon be cured for good.