Resources for this information are available in my article here.

Who is at risk:

Each year in the United States 11,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 3,500 deaths are associated with it. It is rarely seen in women under the age of 20. The average age of a patient is the mid to late 40s. Nearly 20% of patients diagnosed with cervical cancer are over the age of 65. Studies have shown that approximately 5% of women have the persistent HPV infections associated with the development of cervical cancer due to strains of the virus.

What is HPV?

HPV is the human papillomavirus. It is usually sexually transmitted and is associated with the development of female reproductive cancers and genital warts. There are several strains, HPV-16 is the most oncogenic (cancer causing). Limiting sexual partners and sexual contact can prevent HPV infection. The immune system usually clears the virus on its own. Infection with multiple strains may occur over a woman's lifetime. The development of cancer has been associated with persistent infection - viral infection that is not cleared by the immune system.

What is cervical cancer?
	Cervical cancer is the alteration of the cells of the cervix, the cone shaped opening into the uterus from the vagina. When caught in its earliest stages, cervical cancer has a 5-year relative survival rate of 92%. Risk factors for the development of cervical cancer include the use of oral contraceptives, smoking, early sexual encounters, multiple sexual partners, and viruses such as HPV.

Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment

There are usually no symptoms of cervical cancer until the advanced stages, which includes pain and unusual vaginal bleeding. Treatment consists of preventing the precancerous cells from becoming invasive. Removal of the cells during biopsy sometimes is enough. Other times more invasive surgical procedures are necessary. In 2006 the FDA approved the first vaccine reported to prevent cervical cancer caused by HPV infection.

Gardasil - cervical cancer vaccine

Made by Merck & Co, approved in 2006 in the United States for girls aged 9-26. Currently being considered as a mandatory vaccination for school age girls in several states, the mandate has already been signed in Texas. Its effectiveness is in question due to a lack of long term studies and side effects have surfaced. The vaccine contains viral protein that activates the immune system and aluminum salt. From clinical trials it can be estimated that 83% of girls receiving Gardasil will have reactions at the injection site up to 5 days after the shot. It is also recommended to remain at the doctor’s office for 15 minutes afterwards due to the possibility of fainting. Common adverse reactions seen in clinical trials up to 15 days after the injection included headaches, nausea, and fever. More severe side effects are under investigation in the United States and UK including deaths, miscarriages, paralysis, Bells Palsy, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and seizures. The vaccine is not recommended for pregnant women and is ideally targeted to girls before they are sexually active.