Except for your annual gynecological check-up, the thought of cervical cancer may not even be on your mind – and perhaps not even then. Did you know that cervical cancer affects approximately 12,000 American women each year? Estimates show that more than 4,000 women will die from it. Worldwide, half a million women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and a quarter of a million women will die from the disease.

When you start thinking about the large number of affected women, cervical cancer becomes more than a passing thought.

What causes cervical cancer? Researchers have discovered that the human papillomaviruses (HPVs) cause almost all incidences of cervical cancer. HPVs are a group of more than 150 related viruses. The name comes from the fact that certain types of these viruses cause warts (or papillomas). Most warts are benign, or noncancerous.

However, 40 of the viruses are sexually transmitted. While not all sexually transmitted viruses cause cancer, 15 high-risk HPV types do. In fact, two of them (types 16 and 18) cause approximately 70 percent of all cervical cancers.

Since 70 percent of cervical cancer is caused from sexually transmitted HPVs, prevention starts with awareness of sexually-risky behavior.

Eighty percent of women will contract an HPV in their lifetime and usually before the age of 50. Most women and men will first contract HPV between ages 15 and 25 years. The body is adept at clearing away any infections, without medical intervention or treatment.

“For most, the body will clear the infection within a year or two,” said Dr. Robert Miller, a Pinellas Park oncologist.

For cervical cancer to grow, certain factors need to exist.

“The [HPV] virus has to hang on, the body doesn’t shed it, it smolders away, like for smokers, people with multiple partners or multiple births,” Miller said.

The virus alone is usually not enough to cause cervical cancer. It starts when the prolonged infection combines with certain risk factors, like smoking, which compromise health and allow the cancerous cells to grow.

We interviewed Dr. Robert Miller, an oncologist who works in the Pinellas Park, and asked him 10 questions about cervical cancer you should know.

Here are 10 things to know about cervical cancer.

1.  Are routine Pap smears the best line of defense for detecting cervical cancer? No, it’s not a tool to defend yourself against cancer. However, Miller said that “it’s the best screening test” despite the Pap smear being an old test.

2. What are some of the risk factors? Since the disease starts from a sexually transmitted virus, one of the biggest factors is having multiple sexual partners. Smoking cigarettes also increases your chances because it compromises the immune system and allows the pre-cancerous cells to grow.

Other factors include: prolonged use of oral contraceptives, previous history of abnormal Pap tests, history of sexually transmitted diseases, low socioeconomic status and multiple births (seven or more children).  

3. What is the average age of diagnosis? The median age is 48 years old. It takes about 15 to 20 years for the pre-cancerous cells to grow and turn into cervical cancer.

4. What symptoms or signs should not be ignored? “Anything out of the ordinary, like unexplained bleeding,” Miller said.

Check with your doctor if you have any of these symptoms: unusual bleeding (can be heavy or light), heavy discharge, pelvic pain, pain during urination, and bleeding after sexual intercourse, pelvic exam, or douching.

5. What can I do to protect myself? The best protection is abstinence. If you are sexually active, use protection.

“Like they used to say, ‘No glove, no love’. Use a condom,” Miller said. Participate in a healthful lifestyle to boost your immune system.

6. Is there anything to prevent cervical cancer? Doctors recommend young women get one of the HPV vaccines (Gardasil and Cervarix), which effectively target viruses 16 and 18. It’s best to receive the vaccination before the first incidence of sexual activity.

Various committees have different age recommendations for the HPV vaccine. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends the vaccine for females between ages 11 and 12 (and as young as nine-years-old). Catch-up vaccinations are recommended for females between 13 and 26. The American Cancer Society recommends the vaccine for females only between ages of 11 through 18. It does not recommend catch-up vaccines.

7. Will a vaccine help me if I’ve already contracted the virus? No, the vaccine is best for prevention and does not fight a present infection.

8. Is this a disease that only older women need to be aware of? No, all women need to be aware of the risks and steps to prevent cervical cancer. The disease affects 26 percent of women between ages 40 to 49.

Cervical cancer takes 15 to 20 years to develop, though it does affect approximately five percent of 20 to 29-year-olds.

 “We’re now seeing younger women in their 20’s with aggressive cancer,” Miller said.

Miller said the growing incidences of younger women could be attributed to a more casual viewpoint on mutiple sexual partners or frequent oral sex.

9. Are certain races at a greater risk? In the U.S., cervical cancer is 50 percent higher in African American women than Caucasian women. Hispanic women have a 66 percent higher incidence than non-Hispanic women.

10. What are the best ways to prevent cervical cancer? Prevention through vaccination, protection through healthful behaviors and early detection with Pap tests.

For more information on cervical cancer, visit Miller's website: http://aboutcancer.com