Where the uterus tapers into the vagina, there is a 11⁄2-to 2-inch stretch called the cervix. This area is highly vulnerable to changes caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), which can lead to cervical cancer. Every year, more than 11,000 women in the United States develop this devastating disease—and some 3,000 die of it.

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The number one weapon in the fight against cervical cancer is the Pap test. Invented by the physician George Papanicolaou (1883–1962) in 1942, the test involves scraping cells off the cervix with a small brush or spatula. The sample is then studied by a pathologist, who looks for any abnormal cells that may be precancerous. If such cells are spotted, a gynecologist can perform a biopsy to check for cancer and remove the area before it has a chance to develop into a tumor. Because it takes several years for cells to turn cancerous, most cases of HPV are diagnosed and caught before they take a troublesome turn. In fact, since the advent of the Pap test, cervical cancer has fallen from being the most prevalent type of gynecological cancer to the third most common (behind ovarian and uterine cancers).

Pap tests, however, are only about 80 percent accurate, which is why doctors order repeat screenings for at-risk patients. Current techniques can search for HPV in Pap tests by identifying the presence of the HPV type’s DNA with very high accuracy. Symptoms of cervical cancer include bloody vaginal discharge with an unpleasant odor, vaginal bleeding, and pelvic pain. Treatments include chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, among others.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

  1. Smoking, having multiple sex partners, using birth control for many years, having one’s first intercourse at an early age, and having given birth to more than five children all are associated with an elevated risk of cervical cancer.
  2. The time it takes for mildly abnormal cells detected with a Pap test to develop into invasive cancer is usually 10 years or more.