• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Trinity Health

Close Search

How can we help you?

Popular Searches...
  • Find a Doctor
  • Find a Location
  • Find a Job
  • Pay My Bill
  • View Patient & Visitor Information
  • Access Patient Portal
  • Make a Donation
  • Contact Trinity Health
  • Find a Provider
  • Find a Location
  • Areas of Care
  • Patients & Visitors
  • My Patient Portal
  • Pay My Bill
  • Ways to Give
  • News & Events
  • Careers
    Home
  • Archives for Cervical cancer

Cervical cancer

Cervical Cancer Awareness


January 12, 2024

What is HPV?

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancers; at least half of sexually active people will have HPV at some point in their lives. Almost all cervical cancers are caused by HPV. Screening tests and the HPV vaccine can help prevent cervical cancer.

What are risk factors for cervical cancer?

Tobacco smoking and having HIV or other conditions that make it hard for the body to fight off health problems can increase your risk of cervical cancer and other genital cancers. In addition, using birth control pills for a long time, five years or more, can increase the risk of cervical cancer. To reduce the risk of cervical cancer it is recommended that children (male and female)ages 11 to 12 receive the HPV vaccine.

What are ways to reduce risk?

HPV infection can occur in both males and females; it’s recommended to use condoms during sex and to limit your number of sexual partners to reduce risk. Smoking is attributed to higher risk and should be stopped to reduce your risk.

What is the HPV vaccine?

The HPV vaccine protects against the most common cause of cervical, vaginal and vulvar cancers. The vaccine prevents new HPV infections but does not treat existing infections or diseases. It is recommended that even if you receive the HPV vaccine, that you should get screened for cervical cancer regularly.

When should vaccination occur?

If a child is vaccinated before 15, a two-dose schedule is recommended, with them 6 to 12 months apart. For people who start after their 15th birthday, the vaccine is given in a series of three shots. The HPV vaccine also is recommended for everyone through age 26 years if they are not vaccinated already.

What screening options are there?

Two screening tests can help find changes that could become precancer or cervical cancer, the Pap test or the HPV test. The Pap test (or Pap smear) looks for precancers on the cervix to screen for possible cells that may become cervical cancer. The HPV test looks for the virus that causes cells to change. It is recommended that women between the ages of 21 and 29 get Pap test and for women 30 years or older to receive an HPV test, or Pap test, or both together. It is important to continue getting screened for HPV by your doctor, even if you think you are too old to have a child or no longer have sex.

Visit trinityhealth.org/services/womens-health/ to find a specialist that can talk to you about your options for HPV testing.

Information for this is article attributed and obtained from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Center for Disease and Control Prevention.

Filed Under: HealthTalk Tagged With: Cervical cancer, HPV

Mayo Clinic Connection: Cervical Cancer


January 12, 2023

Cervical cancer happens when cells in the cervix, the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina, start to become abnormal. Small changes in the cell DNA tells them to multiply out-of-control, and cells accumulate in growths called tumors. Thankfully, advances in medical technology and specifically the use of Pap tests, have significantly helped identify cervical cancer in patients earlier than ever before. What was once the most common cause of cancer death for American women is now caught sooner and therefore more curable.

Who gets it?

While it isn’t perfectly clear what sparks the cervical cells to change their DNA, it is certain that human papilloma virus, or HPV, plays a role. HPV is spread by skin to skin contact often during sexual encounters. Over 85% of the general population has been exposed. But most people with HPV never develop cervical cancer. However, reducing your risk of one helps reduce your risk of the other. Other risk factors for cervical cancer include multiple sexual encounters. But it only takes one to contract HPV, so it’s important to always practice safe sex. A weakened immune system and smoking also are linked to higher risk.

What are the symptoms?

Unfortunately, the early stages of cervical cancer generally show no signs or symptoms. This is why getting Pap smears every three to five years and yearly pelvic exams are important. Once the cancer has progressed, it can show these symptoms: Unusual vaginal bleeding, for example, after intercourse or between periods or after menopause. Watery, bloody vaginal discharge that may be heavy or have an odor. And pelvic pain or other pain can also occur during intercourse.

How is it diagnosed?

Most guidelines suggest starting regular screening for cervical cancer at age 21. During these screenings, a provider collects cells from the cervix to be tested in the lab. HPV DNA tests examine the cell specifically for HPV that can lead to pre-cancer. A Pap test, commonly called a Pap smear, tests the cells for abnormalities. The process of these tests are not painful but can be mildly uncomfortable. If your provider suspects cervical cancer, they may start a more thorough examination of the cervix. This may include a colposcopy, which is a special tool that shines light through the vagina into the cervix to magnify the view for your provider. During the colposcopy, your provider might take several deeper samples of cells to examine. This could include a punch biopsy that collects tiny samples of cells, or an endocervical curettage that uses a narrow instrument to take an internal tissue sample. And if after further examination, the sample tissue is worrisome, your doctor may run more tests or collect other tissue samples from deeper layers of the cells.

How is it treated?

Treating cervical cancer isn’t one-size-fits-all. Your doctor will consider the whole picture of your health and your personal preferences before making a recommendation. This will include one or several treatment methods. For early cervical cancer, doctors typically treat with surgery to remove the abnormal growths. For more advanced cervical cancer, there’s also chemotherapy, a drug that runs the body killing cancer cells in its path. Radiation therapy uses high-powered beams with energy focused on the cancer cells. There’s also targeted drug therapy that blocks specific weaknesses present within the cancer cells. And immune therapy, a drug treatment that helps your immune system recognize cancer cells and attack them.

This information is provided by Kristina Butler, MD, a gynecologic oncologist at Mayo Clinic.

Filed Under: HealthTalk Tagged With: Cervical cancer, Mayo Clinic

sidebar

Copyright © 2025 · Trinity Health on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in