Cervical Cancer

• Cervical cancer develops in the tissues of the cervix, which connects a woman’s uterus and vagina.
  
  
• Cervical cancer 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 scrutinized under a microscope.
  
  
• Human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted disease, is the primary cause of cervical cancer. The virus is present in virtually all cases of invasive cervical cancer.
  
  
• There are now two approved vaccines, approved for males and females ages 9 to 26, that protect against the types of HPV that cause most cervical cancer cases.
  
  
• Since most women are exposed to the kind of HPV that cause cervical cancer but do not develop cancer, it is likely that other factors contribute to the development of cervical cancer. (Some of these co-factors include early age at first intercourse, cigarette smoking, nutrition, and genetics.)
  
  
• Cervical cancer used to be one of the most common causes of cancer death among American women, but thanks to widespread use of the Pap test, early detection of precancerous and early-stage cancers has improved, boosting survival rates significantly. Worldwide, however, cervical cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer death among women in low-resource settings.

HPV Vaccine - Dr. Denise Galloway and colleagues laid the groundwork for development of Gardasil and Cervarix, the two vaccines that have been found to prevent HPV infection in women. Gardasil, approved for use in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration in 2006, prevents HPV types 16 and 18, which account for 70 percent of cervical cancers, and HPV types 6 and 11, which cause 90 percent of genital warts. Cervarix is licensed for use in Europe. Galloway, along with researchers in Australia and at the National Institutes of Health, accomplished the critical step of getting a key viral gene to assemble into particles that look like HPV, forming the basis of today's vaccine. Learn more »

New research shows that the HPV vaccine may do more than just prevent cervical cancer. Because HPV is now linked to anal, vaginal, vulvar and penile cancers, as well as cancer of the oropharynx (the middle part of the throat including the soft palate, the base of the tongue, and the tonsils), the vaccine is even more effective in preventing cancer caused by HPV than first thought.

Genes, HPV and cervical cancer – Research by Dr. Margaret Madeleine and colleagues found that certain gene variants may lead to the development of cervical cancer in women with HPV infection. By analyzing immune-system genes — known as human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes — of women with and without cervical cancer, researchers found evidence that certain gene variants may affect women's cancer risk. The discovery may help explain why only a small proportion of women infected with the cancer-causing form of HPV develop cervical cancer and ultimately aid scientists as they continue to develop cancer treatments in women already infected with HPV. Learn more »

Increasing screening in ethnic communities – Hispanic women have about twice the risk of developing invasive cervical cancer as non-Hispanic women, and Hispanic women are less likely to get regular Pap tests. Research by Dr. Carol Moinpour and colleagues has suggested that Hispanic female cancer survivors who are trained as lay health educators can successfully increase cancer-screening rates among their network of family members and friends. Learn more »

Vietnamese women have higher rates of cervical cancer than any other racial or ethnic group (including Hispanics), according to cancer-registry data. Surveys of Seattle-area Vietnamese-American women led by Drs. Vicky Taylor, Stephen Schwartz and colleagues have shed some light on the cultural beliefs that may explain why such women tend not to be screened regularly. Learn more »

Predicting mortality – Dr. Stephen Schwartz and colleagues observed that a strain of human papillomavirus called HPV 18, found in up to 30 percent of women with cervical cancer, appears to be associated with a mortality rate nearly double that of other HPV-related cervical cancers. Results of the research confirm several previous smaller studies that suggest HPV 18 may be an excellent indicator, or biomarker, for predicting outcomes for women diagnosed with early-stage cervical cancer. Learn more »