Statistics
About 12,800 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed each year. Most will be caught early and cured, but about a third will result in the patient's death.
Between 1978 and 1992, while cervical cancer diagnoses and deaths decreased for American women overall, black American women older than 50 remained more than twice as likely as white women to develop -- and die from -- cervical cancer. For black American women under age 50, the incidence of cervical cancer is higher than that of white women in the same age group.
Who is at Risk?
Cervical cancer can affect any woman who is or has been sexually active. Risk of cervical cancer is higher in women who have had multiple sexual partners or in women whose partners have had multiple partners. Older women and those without access to ongoing medical care are especially vulnerable if they do not have regular Pap tests and pelvic exams. Others at high risk are those infected with HIV, women with genital warts, and smokers.
Early Detection
One of the most powerful steps you can take for good health is to get regular checkups. Schedule an annual pelvic exam and a Pap test , which may detect changes in the cervix that can be treated before the cells become cancerous. A Pap test can also lead to diagnosing cervical cancer in its early stages, when the cancer is highly treatable.
(Source: The American Cancer Society and others)