Some facts about cervical cancer

• More than twice as many African-American women die from cervical cancer as Caucasian women.
• Worldwide, cervical cancer kills one woman every 2 minutes
• In developed countries, the widespread use of cervical screening programs has reduced the incidence of invasive cervical cancer by 50 percent or more.
• The highest rate of cervical cancer is in underdeveloped countries.
• The early stages of cervical cancer may be completely asymptomatic.
• The 5 year survival rate for early invasive cancer of the cervix is 92%.
• Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a necessary factor in the development of almost all cases of cervical cancer.
• HPV types 16 and 18 are the most common cancer-causing virus types and account for over 70% of all cervical cancer cases globally
• In the U.S. each year there are more than 6.2 million new HPV infections in both men and women.
• Human papillomavirus is very common and affects roughly 80 percent of all sexually active people, whether they have symptoms or not.
• The number of cases of invasive cervical cancer increases with age.
• Women who had first sexual intercourse at an early age or who have had many sexual partners, or have partners who have many sexual partners, have a higher-than-average risk of developing cervical cancer.