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Cervical cancer was once one of the most common causes of cancer death among women in the U.S., but today many cases of cervical cancer are prevented through widespread use of the Pap test.
Vaccines are also available to prevent infection by certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), a major cause of cervical cancer, as well as many other cancers.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), cervical cancer tends to develop in midlife. Most women are diagnosed with cervical cancer before the age of 50. About 3 in 20 are older than 65. Early cervical cancer and precancerous conditions of the cervix have no symptoms. This tool will help you find out your relative risk for cervical cancer. This tool is valid for women between the ages of 21 and 69 who have had sexual intercourse at least once and who have not had a hysterectomy with removal of the cervix.
Based on the information you provided, you have one or more risk factors for cervical cancer. A risk factor is any condition or behavior that increases your likelihood of developing a disease. Having a risk factor does not mean you will develop a disease. Knowing what your risk factors are helps your healthcare provider schedule appropriate screenings and recommend preventive measures. It also helps you find things you can change to help lower your risk for cervical cancer.
For cervical cancer, the primary risk factor is infection with certain high-risk types of HPV, or human papillomavirus. Other secondary risk factors also come into play. Based on the answers to your assessment, your risk factors, if any, are listed below.
The information you provided suggests that you have none of the common risk factors for cervical cancer covered in this assessment. Your results show the following preventive factors that decrease your likelihood developing cervical cancer by varying degrees:
Your results show that you have one or more secondary risk factors for cervical cancer:
Your results also show the following preventive factors that decrease your risk for cervical cancer by varying degrees:
The most important risk factor for cervical cancer is being infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Most women diagnosed with cervical cancer have had this virus. HPV is passed on through skin contact with an infected part of the body, usually on or near the sexual organs. Your risk of getting this virus increases if you have sex at an early age, if you have more than one sexual partner during your lifetime, if your partner has had multiple sex partners, or if you have sex with uncircumcised males.
HPV refers to a group of more than 150 types of viruses. Some of these are low risk and cause genital warts. Only a few HPVs cause cervical cancer. In fact, about two-thirds of all cervical cancer cases are caused by only two types, HPV 16 and HPV 18. Yet most women who are infected with these types of HPV don't develop cervical cancer.
HPV infection does not always cause warts or other symptoms, so you can pass it to another person without knowing it. Condoms protect against many sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), but they don't offer total protection against HPV. This is because HPV can be passed on by skin contact with an infected area of the body that can't be covered with a condom. Even when no warts are present, HPV can stay in the skin and be passed on. A vaccine for HPV is available for people between ages 9 and 26. The vaccine is intended to be given to people before they become sexually active. It is a preventive vaccine. It does not protect people who have already been exposed to HPV.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), other factors that increase your risk for cervical cancer are:
The increased use of the Pap test has greatly reduced deaths from cervical cancer. Pap tests find early cancers and changes in the cells of the cervix that could lead to cancer. Cervical cancer develops slowly. It usually taking years to progress from a precancerous condition to cancer. For many women, the precancerous changes will not progress to cancer or will go away without any treatment. Precancerous conditions can also be treated. But preventing cancer from developing is important.
The American Cancer Society recommends that:
To make sure your Pap test results are accurate, the ACS recommends the following:
A pelvic exam is not a Pap test, but both are usually done during the same office visit. The Pap test is often done first. For the Pap test, the healthcare provider puts a tool called a speculum into the vagina to hold it open, then gently scrapes or brushes the cervix with another tool to remove a small number of cells. This sample is sent to the lab. The HPV test can be done at the same time as the Pap test, and it's done the same way. During a pelvic exam, a healthcare provider checks the health of a woman's uterus and ovaries by feeling them through the belly (abdomen). For the exam, the provider puts one or two fingers into the vagina and presses to steady the uterus. The other hand pushes on the abdomen to feel the uterus and ovaries. A pelvic exam cannot find cervical cancer in its early stages or abnormal cervical cells.
This information is not intended as a substitute for professional health care. Always consult with a healthcare provider for advice concerning your health. Only your health care provider can do a thorough disease risk assessment or determine if you have cervical cancer.
References for Cervical Cancer
This assessment is not intended to replace the evaluation of a healthcare professional.