Actually there is a high incidence of this disease in women all over the world, because it is the fifth cause of death in women. There are more different kinds of cervical cancer, but most of them are caused by the infection with HPV, meaning Human Papillomavirus. This virus is transmitted during sex, but it can also be spread by touching somebody's derm. It is not a "sexually transmitted disease" per se, but it surely helps not to get infected if you have safe sex by using a condom. After all, it's better to take all precaution measures than to be forced to deal with this terrible disease. Besides from being very frequent, this HPV cervical cancer is also very aggressive and the survival rate is very small if the disease is not discovered in the early stages. Even so, the life hope for an infected person is an average of five years, which is very little.
The HPV cervical cancer acts by transforming the normal and healthy cells into malignant cancer cells in the cervical tissue. The disease has a very fast development . Before turning into cancer, the cells in the cervix suffer a transformation called dispasia during which the cells become abnormal and they start multiplying and spreading to the neighbouring organs. This transformation can be detecting by having a simple test called Pap smear, which consists of an analysis of a sample of cells taken from the cervix area. If this test reveals any abnormal cells, it can be the signal for a future development into cancer and you can take the necessary precautions before it's too late.
Doctors recommend a Pap smear every year or at least every three years because that can save your life by detecting the HP cervical cancer in the very early stage . This disease is treated by removing the sick cells, that is the tumour. In the early stages they remove only the affected tissue and in the more advanced stages it means a hysterectomy, that is a total removal of the uterus and cervix. The next step is radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
There are many risk factors that represent an increased possibility of developing HP cervical cancer. The first and most dangerous one is the infection with HPV. That is why many of the developed countries in the world have decided to make HPV vaccination programes compulsory. Other risk factors may be: a big number of pregnancies, multiple sexual partners, beginning the sex life very early, smoking, oral contraceptives and a weak immunitary system. Some doctors even say that an inappropriate diet can also be a risk factor.
Any way, the most important thing you should keep in mind is the fact that all women should have regular medical check ups and regular Pap smears with the only purpose of finding an eventual problem in the verly early stage. Being aware of that can save your life and nothing is more important than this.