What We Want You to Know About Cervical Cancer

Did you know that cervical cancer used to be one of the most common cancers in women, but thanks to screening efforts, the death rate has been cut in half since the 1970s?

Since January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Sridevi Panchamukhi and the team here at Evelskare want to share some important information about this reproductive cancer. Most importantly, we want to review how you can stay one step ahead of this potentially serious disease.

Cervical cancer by the numbers

We kicked off this discussion with an encouraging number about the cervical cancer death rate being half of what it was 50 years ago, but let’s look at some more numbers that can help provide perspective.

Nearly 14,000 cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed in the United States in 2024 and slightly more than 4.300 women lost their lives to this reproductive cancer.

The average age of diagnosis of cervical cancer is 50, but 20% of these cancers are found in women older than 65, though rarely in older women who have screened throughout their lives (more on this in a moment).

Cervical cancer: Where it comes from

Most cases of cervical cancer are caused by a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. In total there are more than 100 different strains of HPV, and most people are infected at some point in their lives.

Between 30-40 strains of HPV can impact the genital area, and we consider a few of these strains to be high-risk, which means they can lead to precancerous cell changes on your cervix.

If these cell changes aren’t detected, they can turn cancerous and lead to cervical cancer.

Protecting yourself against cervical cancer

It’s not often that we get a chance to really stay one step ahead of cancer, but we often can with cervical cancer thanks to two things:

Screening for cervical cancer

For decades now, we’ve been able to screen for cervical cancer through regular Pap tests and HPV tests, which can be part of any well-woman exam. With these tests, all we do is take a swab of the cells on your cervix during a pelvic exam and examine them under a microscope to detect any abnormal cell changes.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends the following screening schedule:

• Between the ages of 21-29: A Pap test every three years
• Between the ages of 30-65 there are three options: 1. A Pap test and HPV test every five years; 2. A Pap test every three years; 3. An HPV test every five years

We’re happy to sit down with you to figure out which testing scheduling is best for you.

 If we do find abnormal cells during this testing, we will likely increase your testing schedule. And, should the results continue to be abnormal, we can discuss next steps for removing the cells from your cervix.

Vaccinating against HPV 

For younger women below the age of 26, we can now vaccinate against HPV infection, starting at about the age of 9. We expect that this vaccine will help to lower cervical cancer numbers even further in the coming years.

As you can see, cervical cancer isn’t the threat it once was thanks to screening and vaccination, but it’s still an issue that you should monitor.

For help protecting yourself against cervical cancer, we invite you to contact our office in Frisco, Texas, by phone or online to book a consultation today.