The Facts on Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancers are among the most common cancerous (malignant) tumours. Fortunately, a large majority of women diagnosed with this disease are completely cured. This is because the tumours tend to grow slowly. Women are encouraged to have regular Pap tests, as this allows for early detection of tumours in most cases, and therefore plenty of time to treat them.

Girls and women aged 9 to 26 can also reduce their risk of cervical cancer by having the cervical cancer vaccine. Recommendations for Pap tests vary from province to province. All provincial programs target women between the ages of 18 and 69.

In a typical year, about 1,450 Canadian women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and about 430 will not survive it. Most of those who die are in the oldest age groups, and almost all of them are people whose cancer had already spread before it was detected. This is only likely to happen if you don't have regular Pap smears done. The death rate from cervical cancer is now 90% lower than it was before the Pap smear was invented in 1941. The Pap test can actually tell in advance which people are likely to develop cervical cancer in the near future, allowing doctors to act to prevent the disease from appearing.

The tissues of the cervix are very prone to undergo abnormal changes, and many women have tumours or neoplasms (new growths) in these areas of the reproductive system. Only a minority of these changes are actually cancerous. Some are benign, which means that they won't multiply and spread to other organs, and therefore aren't cancerous. Others are considered precancerous, and may require surgical treatment similar to that used to cure cancer itself. Many women who don't actually have cancer still need to be treated by an oncologist (a doctor who treats cancer).

Preventing cancer may require a time-consuming series of diagnostic and surgical procedures. Similarly, women who have been cured of cervical cancer often need further treatment, especially if radiation was used. The latest prevention method is a vaccination against 4 common types of HPV. HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cervical cancer and other health problems. The vaccine prevents against the types of HPV that cause about 70% of all cervical cancers. It is a highly effective way to reduce the likelihood of developing a number of conditions caused by the human papillomavirus. The vaccination is available for girls and women 9 to 26 years of age.