January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

JOIN WITH THE AACR TO FIND BETTER WAYS TO prevent and TREAT CERVICAL CANCER

While cervical cancer rates in the United States have dropped over the past few decades, the National Cancer Institute projects that approximately 13,820 individuals will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2024, and over 4,360 will die from the disease.

vACCINES TO PREVENT Cervical Cancer

For the most part, cervical cancer is a preventable disease. Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are caused by infections with high-risk strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV). Fortunately, the HPV vaccine currently used in the United States, Gardasil 9, can protect against nine of the 12 high-risk HPV strains.

The HPV vaccine is approved for males and females ages 9 to 45, with recommendations that they should get the first dose at age 11 or 12. We can tell it’s effective because research has shown that in young women who were most likely to have received the HPV vaccines, cervical cancer incidence is declining rapidly. For instance, a study showed that in women aged 20 to 24 years, invasive cervical cancer incidence decreased by 65% from 2012 to 2019 compared to only by 24% from 2005 to 2012.

Early detection through screening

In addition to preventative vaccines, we have screening tests that can detect cancer at an early stage, when treatment is more effective than at a later point. Even precancerous conditions can be detected and treated.

Screening includes the well-known “Pap test” or “Pap smear.” This can detect cells that might indicate that cancer is present. Another test can detect an infection with high-risk HPV.

Screening recommendations

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that women should start getting Pap tests every three years, beginning at age 21. From 30 to 65 years of age, the USPSTF recommends combination screening: the Pap test alone every three years; a high-risk HPV test alone every five years; or “cotesting” with both every five years. Testing isn’t recommended for most women over 65.

More on cervical cancer

  • National guidelines say that most women can stop screening for cervical cancer after age 65 if they have a history of negative screening results. However, a study published in the AACR journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention suggested that cervical cancer in women who are past the age of regular screening is more likely to be at a later stage of the disease. AACR’s Cancer Today magazine reported on the study and what it means for older women.
  • Experts believe that cervical cancer can be virtually eliminated. On Cancer Research Catalyst, the AACR blog, you can learn more about how researchers are implementing creative solutions around the world to vaccinate, screen, and treat patients with cervical cancer.
  • Black and Hispanic women and low-income and rural populations are especially vulnerable to cervical cancer. Read more in Cancer Today about these disparities in cervical cancer.

What the AACR Is Doing in The Area of cervical cancer research

The AACR is currently supporting four scientific grants in cervical cancer. Three are under the Beginning Investigator Grant for Catalytic Research (BIG Cat) Initiative. One is through the Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers Career Development Award, in Partnership with Pelotonia and the AACR.

The BIG Cat grantees are:

  • Ijeoma M. Ifeorah, PhD, an assistant professor at the Center for Translation and Implementation Research University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is conducting research on “Phylogenetic and evolution analysis of high-risk HPV in women with HIV.”
  • Abram Kamiza, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. He is studying “Evolving genetic factors for cervical cancer in women of African ancestry.”
  • Imran O. Morhason-Bello, MD, PhD, a senior lecturer and consultant gynecologist at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He is researching “Epigenetic biomarkers of anal HPV Infection in women with cervical HPV.”

The researcher supported by Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers Career Development Award, in Partnership with Pelotonia and the AACR, is:

  • Chemtai Mungo, MD, MPH, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is studying “Feasibility of adjuvant topical therapy for cervical precancer treatment.”

For more information

Please see our page on cervical cancer, including information on prevention, screening, and treatment.