Cervical cancer is the abnormal, uncontrollable growth of cells in the outside layer of cells on the cervix. The cervix is at the lower end of the pair-shaped uterus, that forms a canal between the uterus and vagina. Every year approximately fifteen thousand women are diagnosed with cervical cancer. About five thousand women die of this disease, and that's only in the United States. Worldwide, cervical cancer affects five hundred thousand women annually, and in some counties this is the most common form of cancer among women. But, with early detection from screening, such as the Pap smear, this deadly disease can be found and stopped.
How does one develop cervical cancer?.
Studies have shown that a virus called the human papillomauirus (HPV) is the top cause of cervical cancer and is present in mostly all cases of cervical cancer. Of more than seventy kinds of HPV, only thirteen types are believed to have links to cervical cancer. HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the U.S. It has been shown that about eighty percent of women will get HPV. Most women will get HPV in their early twenties, but only a few cases will develop into cancer.
Cervical cancer may take years to develop. Before the cancer develops, changes take place in the cells of the cervix. These abnormal cells can be detected by a smear test before they turn into cancer. The name given to the abnormal cells in the cervix that may lead to cancer is known as CIN (cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia), or precancer. One big risk factor in developing this cell is having intercourse at a young age; because a woman cervix does not fully mature until the age of eighteen. These young cells can be damaged during intercourse. Another risk factor is having many sexual partners at a young age. But many women will get the HPV virus without these factors. .
What are the symptoms of cervical cancer?.