Cervical Cancer
Fast Facts | Key Research | More Resources
Cervical Cancer: Fast Facts
- 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.
- 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.
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Cervical Cancer: Some of our Key Research
Understanding viral ties to cancer development
- Dr. Denise Galloway and colleagues laid the groundwork for development of vaccines that have been found to prevent 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. Years ago, 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. The Food and Drug Administration in 2006 approved Gardasil, a vaccine that protects against those four types of HPV. Cervarix, a similar vaccine protecting against types 16 and 18, was licensed in Europe. Both vaccines have been found to be highly effective in preventing those specific types of HPV infections in women who have not been infected, principally in young girls who have not begun sexual activity. Unfortunately they have no effect in women who have already been infected, including those with premalignant or invasive cancer. Learn more about our work underlying cervical-cancer vaccines. »
- 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 molecular tumor marker for predicting outcomes for women diagnosed with early-stage cervical cancer. Learn more about predicting cervical cancer’s course. »
- Research by Dr. Margaret Madeleine and colleagues may help explain why only a small proportion of women infected with the cancer-causing form of the human papillomavirus (HPV) later develop cervical cancer. 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 findings, which confirm and extend observations made in other populations, could ultimately aid scientists as they continue to develop vaccines to treat cancer in women already infected with HPV. Read more about gene variants and cervical-cancer risk. »
Advancing cervical-cancer treatment
In 1997, researchers at the Hutchinson Center played a key role in the first major advance for cervical cancer in 40 years. Five studies, including one coordinated by the Center's Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) Statistical Center, showed that treating women with chemotherapy and radiation compared to radiation alone can reduce cervical cancer recurrence and death by half. The studies prompted the National Cancer Institute to recommend that physicians treat patients with the combination therapy.
Investigating cervical-cancer discrepancies across cultural lines
- 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. Read more about Hispanic women and cervical cancer. »
- 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. Based on those studies, our researchers are collaborating with researchers at the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Center to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a culturally appropriate lay health worker program to encourage regular cervical-screening among Vietnamese-American women. Read more about Vietnamese-American women and cervical cancer. »
| Find out more about our cervical-cancer investigators: | |
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Gloria Coronado » Janet Daling » Denise Galloway » Margaret Madeleine » Carol Moinpour » Stephen Schwartz » |
Hisham Tamimi » Vicky Taylor » David Thomas » Beti Thompson » Noel Weiss » |
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Cervical Cancer: More Resources
- Every advance in cancer treatment in recent years has come out of clinical trials that test innovative medical approaches on patients. Find out more about clinical trials on cervical cancer. »
- The Hutchinson Center also conducts ongoing cancer-prevention studies that depend on participation of healthy volunteers. Learn more about getting involved in research studies. »
- In need of medical attention for cervical cancer? Visit the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance to get help. »
- The Hutchinson Center is on a mission to eliminate cancer and related diseases as causes of human suffering and death, and you can help. Make a gift today. »
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