Cervical Cancer News & Features

As government funding dried up and many women's health clinics across America closed, cervical cancer screening rates fell and deaths from the disease rose, a new report shows.

HPV vaccination programs significantly reduce  human papillomavirus infections and precancerous cervical lesions, a new global review finds.

Women with the high-grade pre-cancerous cervical lesions had a more abundant and diverse mix of bacteria in their cervical microbiomes than women who had no lesions or less serious lesions, according to the study published recently in the journal mBio.

Researchers said the finding point to what's called "herd protection" -- where everyone benefits from having a large portion of the population vaccinated against a particular disease.

In 2016, just over half of U.S. women aged 21 to 29 and less than two-thirds of women aged 30 to 65 were up-to-date with cervical cancer screenings, according to a new report.

If a woman has one negative HPV DNA test at the age of 55, she probably has a very low risk of cervical cancer, and continued HPV screening would offer little benefit, according to a new study.

Two new studies have found that the routinely used minimally invasive surgery for early stage cervical cancer is linked to a higher rate of recurrence, plus worse long-term survival, compared with more "open" surgeries.

For decades, the Pap smear has been the standard way to test for cervical cancer. But under new government guidelines, women over 30 will have options: a pap test every three years, a test for the human papilloma virus every five years, or both tests together every five years.

Moderate cervical lesions -- formally known as cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia grade 2 (CIN2) -- are abnormal cells on the surface of the cervix.

Death rates from cervical cancer have fallen by more than 50 percent in the past four decades as women have learned more about their risk and as increasing numbers have had Pap tests, which help doctors screen for the disease, the experts noted.

New advisory says women can get the screen once every 5 years, in lieu of Pap tests every 3 years

Less testing could reduce risk of false positives and save money, researchers say

But study found just 30 minutes of exercise a week might lower chances of disease

For women 21 years and older at average risk for cervical cancer, getting screened once every 3 years should suffice, according to advice from the American College of Physicians (ACP).

Two groups call it an effective alternative to the Pap test, but another group disagrees

Gardasil 9 protects against 9 types of the virus, compared to the 4 covered by Gardasil

CDC report notes that half of cases occur among women never or rarely screened

More than 4,000 women projected to die this year from the disease

Study of over 1 million women suggests it could be stand-alone screening method

Analysis included more than 500,000 women from Denmark

Rates highest in women 65 to 69, and black women, say researchers using revised data

Detects presence of high-risk strains of virus believed to cause disease

Pap tests are used to find early signs of cervical cancer. But over the past several years, studies from a number of countries have found that HPV tests are better than the Pap test at finding cervical cancer.

Large population of Australian women were protected to some degree after vaccination, researchers report

Drug improved survival by 4 months with cervical cancer, but no such benefit seen with brain tumors