Cervical cancer from the name is cancer that affects the cervix, which is the lower part of the uterus that forms a canal into the vagina. Cervical cancer used to be a common cause of cancer death in females in the United States. However, progress has been made in the study of the conditions which has led to a reduction in death complications. Cervical cancer screening and the use of the HPV vaccine have greatly improved the recovery rate.
Continue reading this article to learn how common cervical cancer is, the risk factors associated with it, its symptoms, and treatment options.
What to know about cervical cancer?
The World Health Organization (WHO) [1] has recorded cervical cancer to be the fourth most common cancer in females. In 2018 about 570,000 new diagnoses and 311,000 death of cervical cancer worldwide was recorded.
The National Cancer Institute [2] estimates that there will be about 14,100 new diagnoses and 4,280 deaths from cervical cancer in 2022. This corresponds to 0.8% of all new cancer diagnoses and 0.7% of all new cancer deaths for 2022.
Cervical cancer has become less of a threat than it used to be in the United States, this is due to the major improvement in screening. The number of cervical cancer cases has reduced and now rarely occurs in females who receive regular screening before the age of 65.
The introduction of the HPV vaccine [3] has helped reduced cases of cervical cancer. A 2020 study involving up to 1 million females between the age of 10 and 30 years discovered that getting the HPV vaccination reduces the risk of cervical cancer by 90 percent.