Early screening through Pap tests is crucial for better cervical cancer survival rates. HPV causes almost all cervical cancer cases, and the vaccine is recommended for prevention. Developing countries have lower survival rates due to lack of access to screening and vaccines. Regular Pap smears are still necessary even for those who have received the HPV vaccine. Every case of cervical cancer is unique.
The biggest factor influencing cervical cancer survival rates is how advanced the cancer is at the time it’s diagnosed. Women who have access to early screening tests, such as the Pap test, have better cervical cancer survival rates than women who do not have access to regular testing. That’s because early screening catches cancers before they’ve had a chance to spread.
Virtually all cases of cervical cancer are caused by the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV). Nearly 80% of women are infected with the virus at some point in their lives. Usually the woman’s immune system eliminates the HPV virus. In some cases, the HPV virus continues to live in a woman’s body and causes cellular changes that eventually become squamous cell carcinoma, which accounts for 80 to 90 percent of all cervical cancers, or adenocarcinoma, which accounts for nearly all remaining 10 to 20 percent of cervical cancers.
Doctors use a staging system to classify how far cervical cancer has spread. In stage I, the cancer has just begun to grow and is still localized. If caught at this early stage, five-year cervical cancer survival rates range from 80 to 93 percent, meaning 80 to 93 percent of patients will live five years from diagnosis or beyond.
In stage II, cervical cancer has spread to local lymph nodes or other tissue slightly beyond the cervix. Survival rates for this stage range from 58 to 63 percent. Stage III cancer has spread beyond the local area and has five-year survival rates ranging from 32 to 35 percent. Stage IV is the deadliest stage of cervical cancer, when the cancer cells have metastasized to other areas of the body. In this late stage, survival rates are around 15 or 16 percent.
Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are preventable or treatable if caught in the early stages. One of the best means of prevention is for adolescent girls to get the HPV vaccine before becoming sexually active. By 2011, the HPV vaccine was recommended by Australia, Europe and the United States. Although the HPV vaccine is available in some other parts of the world, the cost often makes it impossible for many young women to obtain it.
In developing countries, where women don’t have easy access to Pap smears and the HPV vaccine, cervical cancer survival rates are much lower. Deaths from cervical cancer in developing countries account for more than 80% of all deaths from the disease. This is because cervical cancer isn’t diagnosed until it starts producing symptoms, which doesn’t happen until later stages.
All women, even those who have received the HPV vaccine, should have regular Pap smears to catch abnormal cells before they become cancerous. Most importantly, every case of cervical cancer is different, just like every woman is different. Many women outgrow even the most advanced cases of cervical cancer and go on to lead long and fulfilling lives.
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