Bismarck, ND – In the past, cervical cancer was one of the most common causes of death for American women. Death rates have declined by more than 50% over the past four decades primarily due to increases in Pap testing. The cervical cancer death rate hasn’t changed much over the past 15 years. The American Cancer Society estimates there will be 13,800 new cases of invasive cervical cancer and 4,290 women will die from the disease in the U.S. this year.
The statistics are striking because cervical cancer is a highly preventable and treatable cancer. Screening offers the best chance to find cervical cancer early and can even prevent most cervical cancers by finding pre-cancers that can be treated before they turn into invasive cancer.
“Cervical cancer screening tests are used to find cancer and pre-cancers in women who have no symptoms,” says Kjersti Hintz, RN, Women’s Way coordinator at Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health. “That’s why it’s so troubling that most women diagnosed with cervical cancer in the U.S. haven’t been screened within the last five years and that a large percentage have never been screened.”
The American Cancer Society recommends women follow these screening guidelines for cervical cancer:
- Women ages 21-29 should be screened for cervical cancer with a Pap test every 3 years.
- For women ages 30-65, the preferred way to screen is a Pap test combined with a Human Papillomavirus Virus (HPV) test every 5 years. Another option is a Pap test alone every 3 years.
- After age 65, women who have had regular cervical cancer screening in the previous 10 years, with normal results, should no longer be screened.
- Women of any age should NOT be screened every year by any screening method.
- Women who have been vaccinated against HPV should still follow the screening guidelines for their age group.
A majority of cervical cancers are caused by an HPV infection that is not cleared by the body. Along with regular screening, the HPV vaccine also helps protect HPV infection and HPV related cancers. It is recommended that both boys and girls should receive the HPV vaccine starting at ages 11 or 12. The American Cancer Society is leading a nationwide public health campaign called Mission: HPV Cancer Free to increase HPV vaccination rates and help eliminate vaccine-preventable HPV cancers. The goal is to have 80% of 13-year-old boys and girls in the U.S. fully vaccinated against HPV by June 2026. According to the National Immunization Survey, 76.7% of North Dakota teens ages 13-17 have started the HPV series.
“We’ve made significant progress in the fight against cervical cancer. Using the tools we have available – vaccines, screening, and treatment of pre-cancers – we can eliminate cervical cancer in future generations,” says Hintz.
Women’s Way provides a way to pay for cervical cancer screenings for eligible North Dakota women. Find more information on Women’s Way, screening for cervical cancer and options for financial help available by visiting www.ndhealth.gov/womensway or calling 1-800-449-6636 or 701-355-1577.