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Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer world-wide, and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in developing countries. Cervical cancer is most often diagnosed in middle-aged women, with half of those diagnosed between the ages of 35 and 55. Cervical cancer is very rarely seen in women less than 20 years of age, but approximately 20% of cases occur in women over 65, demonstrating the necessity of continued screening procedures. Cervical cancer is a major health issue for women worldwide. Cervical cancer is different to the majority of other cancers in that infection with a virus is present in 99% of all cervical cancers diagnosed. Cervical cancer is not caused by genetic changes that can be passed down through families, so is not thought to be hereditary. Cervical cancer is believed to be a slow growing cancer and a Pap smear at the ages of 30, 40 and 50 was regarded as a smart way to manage this epidemic. Cervical cancer is caused primarily by certain strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection. Cervical cancer is preventable and can be treated effectively provided women know about the disease and the means to detect and prevent it; many women in Latin America and the Caribbean do not know about cervical cancer or about available screening and treatment programs. Cervical cancer is a significant reproductive health problem in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, which have one of the world’s highest incidence and mortality rates for the disease, according to IARC (see Table 1).

Cervical Cancer is a disease in which the cells of the cervix become abnormal and start to grow uncontrollably, forming tumors. Cervical cancer is usually preceded by dysplasia, precancerous changes in the cells on the surface of the cervix. Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable kinds of cancer. Cervical cancer is divided into two stages; early or pre-invasive stage, and the late or invasive stage. Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers where we know what causes it, and that’s through infection with a sexually transmitted virus called Human Papilloma Virus, or HPV. Cervical cancer is also classed as microinvasive, which means the cancer has only superficially invaded the cervix and has not spread to other organs, or invasive, which means the cancer has spread deeper into the cervix and possibly into the vagina, surrounding lymph nodes or other tissues near the pelvic area. Cervical Cancer is almost always fatal if it is not detected and treated. Cervical cancer is easily prevented with early screening and treatment. Cervical cancer is estimated to have been responsible for almost 260 000 deaths in 2005, of which about 80% occurred in developing countries. Cervical cancer is a deadly form of cancer that sees 10,000 new cases and kills 4,000 women in the US alone yearly. Cervical cancer is extremely rare in women under the age of 25. The best way to prevent cervical cancer is to have sex with those whose sexual history you know to be free of disease. The best method of detecting cervical cancer is for women to attend for regular cervical screening. The risk of developing cervical cancer is approximately 1 in 10,000 women. In South Africa a woman’s risk of developing cervical cancer is one in 26. Unlike some cancers, cervical cancer is slow growing and can take a long time to develop; the average is around ten years. Studies have shown that the five-year relative survival rate for the earliest stages of invasive cervical cancer is 92%. Fortunately, when detected at an early stage, cervical cancer is highly curable. Remember, the best way to avoid falling victim to cervical cancer is to take many preventative measures.