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Cervical Cancer FAQs

How do you get cervical cancer?
How do you prevent cervical cancer?
What is cervical cancer?
Is there a cure for cervical cancer?
How common is cervical cancer?
Are certain people more at risk of getting cervical cancer?

How do you get cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is caused by a common virus called human papillomavirus (HPV).  HPV is spread by skin-to-skin contact in the genital area, even if there is no sexual intercourse.  HPV usually has no symptoms, goes away on its own, and does not cause health problems.  However, many different types of HPV can cause cervical cancer in women.  When the body's immune system can't get rid of a high-risk HPV infection, it can linger over time and turn normal cells into abnormal cells and then cancer.  Other types of HPV can cause genital warts in both women and men.  For more information follow this link to the CDC’s cervical cancer web page. [1]

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How do you prevent cervical cancer?

Get the HPV vaccine early (recommended at 11-12 years old) and have regular Pap tests.  Pap tests usually detect most cervical cancers at an early, treatable stage.  Also tests for HPV can be used to look for the virus that causes cervical cancer. [2]

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What is cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer forms in tissues of the cervix (the organ connecting the uterus and vagina).  It is usually a slow-growing cancer that may not have symptoms but can be found with regular Pap tests (a procedure in which cells are scraped from the cervix and looked at under a microscope).  For more information follow this link to the National Cancer Institute’s cervical cancer information web page. [3]

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Is there a cure for cervical cancer?

When cervical cancer is found early, it is highly treatable and associated with long survival and good quality of life. [4]

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How common is cervical cancer?

The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2009 more than 11,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and approximately 4,070 will die from it in the U.S. [5] In several counties in south central North Carolina, cervical cancer rates are higher than the state average. [6]

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Are certain people more at risk of getting cervical cancer?

According to the National Cancer Institute risk factors for cervical cancer include the following:

• HPV
  If you are (or have ever been) sexually active, you are at risk for HPV. You are at higher risk of getting HPV if:
  • You have had more than one sex partner, or
  • Your sex partner(s) has had other partners.
• Lack of regular Pap tests
  If you do not have regular Pap tests, you are at greater risk for developing cervical cancer.
• Weakened immune system
  If you have HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) infection or if you take drugs that suppress the immune system, you have a higher-than-average risk of developing cervical cancer.
• Age
  If you are over the age of 40, you have reached the age group in which cancer of the cervix occurs most often.
• Smoking cigarettes
  If you have an HPV infection and smoke cigarettes, you have a higher risk of developing cervical cancer than women with an HPV infection who do not smoke.
• Using birth control pills for a long time
  If you have an HPV infection and have been using birth control pills for a long time (5 or more years), you may have a higher risk of developing cervical cancer than women without an HPV infection who use birth control pills for a long time.
• Having many children
  If you have an HPV infection and have given birth to many children, you may have a greater risk of developing cervical cancer than women without HPV infection who give birth to many children. For more information see the National Cancer Institute’s cervical cancer risk web page. [7]

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Information for FAQ answers was gathered from the following sources: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute, and the American Cancer Society.

References

1. CDC (2009).  HPV-Associated Cancers, Basic Information, http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/hpv/basic_info/.

2. CDC (2007).  Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).  Morbidity and Mortality Report, 56(2), 1-24, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5602a1.htm.

3. NCI (2008).  What you need to know about cancer of the cervix, NIH Publication No. 08-2407, http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/cervix.

4. ACS (2009).  How is cancer of the cervix treated, http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_2_4X_Treatment_for_cancer_of_the_cervix_8.asp?sitearea

5 ACS (2009).  How many women will get cancer of the cervix, http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_2_1X_How_many_women_get_cancer_of_the_cervix_8.asp?sitearea=.

6 North Carolina Central Cancer Registry (1996-2006).  Obtained from National Center for Health Statistics (2007), rates of cervical cancer incidence and deaths.

7 NCI (2009).  Cancer Risk: Understanding the Puzzle, http://understandingrisk.cancer.gov/a_Cervical/01.cfm.

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