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Cervical cancer is not like other cancers. This cancer is oh so special because it is caused by the virus HPV. Not only that, but there are multiple prevention methods in place to help lower women’s risk of developing this cancer!! But despite that, cervical cancer is the third most common cancer in women today. Join us this week to learn about the history of cervical cancer, the discovery of the pap smear, and how we are fighting HPV today!

Feminist Corner:

• How can we change the conversation around sexual activity and screening/prevention of sexually transmitted diseases? 

Listen to the episode, discuss these questions with friends and family, let us know what you think!

Show Notes:

Cervical cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, and the third most common cancer in women across the world. Cervical cancer is the cancer of the cervix, which is the organ at the bottom of the uterus and top of the vagina, and it is caused by the human papillomavirus. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that is extremely common, and certain strains of the virus are at high risk for causing cervical cancer.  

Because cervical cancer is caused by a virus, there is a good chance that it has been around throughout human history. Meaning there are accounts from Egyptian and Graeco-Roman texts that describe uterine vs cervical cancer. More recently in the 1700 and 1800s, scientists took notice of the correlation between cervical cancer cases and sexual activity. Also during this time, the disease was the number one killer of women and the survival rate was only 18%.

The prevalence of cervical cancer led to the high need for a preventative measure or screening device to be in place. Leading to Dr. George Papnicolaou discovered that you can see cervical cancer cells from a simple vaginal swab under the microscope, leading to the creation of the pap smear! Which is the most successful screening test we have for cancer today, and when it was first launched it decreased cervical cancer rates by 70%. 

But even with the pap smear, scientists needed to figure out why this cancer was occuring. The community already had an idea of viruses causing abnormal growths such as warts and cancers in other animal species. This led to Dr. Hausen discovered HPV and won a Nobel prize for it! And because HPV is a virus, in the early 2000s a vaccine against HPV was created. Today, the vaccine covers nine strains of HPV and major studies have shown that the HPV vaccine results in a 88% reduced risk of cervical cancer. 

Despite the pap smear and HPV vaccine, cervical cancer is very prevalent today, with 80% of cases occurring in developing countries. Because of lack of access to care and laboratory services not being as prevalent, only about 5% of women in developing countries have appropriate screening. So this cancer really needs great public health efforts, both in developing countries and in the United States today.

Sources:

David Jenkins, & Abstract Cervical cancer is not a new disease. The history of how it was experienced. (2019, November 29). A brief history of cervical cancer. Human Papillomavirus. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128144572000015

Bakalar, N. (2011, September 5). Human papillomavirus, 1985. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/06/health/06first.html

Beddoe, A. M. (2019, November 12). Elimination of cervical cancer: Challenges for developing countries. Ecancermedicalscience. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6946419/

Cancer of the cervix uteri – cancer stat facts. SEER. (n.d.). https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/cervix.html

Cervical Cancer Awareness month: History of the first cancer screening test. Cervical Cancer Awareness Month: History of the First Cancer Screening Test | Masonic Cancer Center. (n.d.). https://cancer.umn.edu/mncctn/news/cervical-cancer-awareness-month-history-first-cancer-screening-test

Cervical cancer statistics: Key Facts About Cervical Cancer. Cervical Cancer Statistics | Key Facts About Cervical Cancer | American Cancer Society. (n.d.). https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/cervical-cancer/about/key-statistics.html

HPV vaccination and the risk of invasive cervical cancer | Nejm. (n.d.-a). https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1917338

HPV vaccination protects against more than 90% HPV vaccination of HPV … (n.d.-b). https://sjr-redesign.stjude.org/content/dam/research-redesign/centers-initiatives/hpv-cancer-prevention-program/hpv-resources/general-fact-sheet-4.pdfTan, S., & Tatsumura, Y. (2015). George Papanicolaou (1883–1962): Discoverer of the pap smear. Singapore Medical Journal, 56(10), 586–587. https://doi.org/10.11622/smedj.2015155

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