Most cervical cancer can be prevented. It is one of the most preventable kinds of cancer. The risk factors are well understood: there is now a vaccine to protect young women from the strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) which cause most cervical cancers; and, with regular Pap tests, the pre-cancerous stages can easily be identified.

Risk Factors

The risk factors for cervical cancer are well understood. Approximately 90 percent of all cervical cancers are caused by a few strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV). This virus is passed from one person to another by skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity.

The majority of women infected with HPV are not at risk of cervical cancer. Only a few strains of HPV cause cancer to develop in the cervix. These strains may transform the normal cells lining the cervix into abnormal (dysplastic) cells, which can eventually become cancerous.

Risk factors for cervical cancer include:

• becoming sexually active at a young age
  Young women are more susceptible to HPV infection since the cells of the cervix are undergoing rapid change at puberty.

• having many sexual partners
  Women who have many partners or who have sex with partners who have had many partners, have a greater chance of getting HPV.

• HIV infection
  The immune system of a woman infected with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) is less able to fight both the human papillomavirus and early cancers.

• having a weakened immune system
  Immunocompromised women with chronic fatigue syndrome, women who have had organ transplants and women who are taking steroids are less able to fight HPV infection.

• smoking
  Smoking appears to be a cofactor with HPV in causing dysplasia, which may progress to cervical cancer.

What You Can Do to Decrease Your Risk of Cervical Cancer

Get regular Pap tests

All girls and women should have regular Pap tests starting at the age of 18 or when they become sexually active, whichever comes first. Many physicians believe that even virginal women should begin regular Pap tests at the age of 18. Women who have had a hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus) and those past menopause still need to have regular Pap tests.

The HPV vaccine does not eliminate the need for regular tests. Because the vaccine does not protect against all forms of cancer-causing HPV and because it is not effective for a woman who already has HPV, Pap screening remains crucial for preventing cervical cancer.

Women who have had four normal Pap tests in the previous 10 years may discontinue Pap tests at the age of 70.

Note: There are factors that might affect the results of your Pap test. Do not schedule a test when you are menstruating. Do not douche, use contraceptive creams or jellies the day before the test.

Stop smoking

Smoking is clearly linked to cervical dysplasia. Stopping smoking is one of the best ways to prevent the development of cervical cancer.

Use condoms to avoid HPV

Although HPV can be passed from skin-to-skin contact, using condoms during sexual intercourse is one way of reducing your risk of getting HPV, the virus that causes most cervical cancers.

If you are a young woman or you have a daughter, consider the HPV vaccine

The newly approved HPV vaccine protects girls and young women, between the ages of 9 and 26, from the strains of HPV that cause most cervical cancers. It is most effective when administered to girls before they become sexually active.