Understanding Cervical Cancer: What You Need to Know
Read more about cervical cancer and how it impacts us.
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January Is National Cervical Health Month - This month is National Cervical Health Month. Read more about cervical cancer, HPV and how the disease affects Black women. — Kellee Terrell (@kelleent)(Photo: Thomas Barwick/Getty Images)
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What Is Cervical Cancer? - It’s cancer of the cervix, which is located in the lower part of a woman’s uterus (womb). Most cervical cancer begins with the cells lining the cervix wall, which over time turn from pre-cancerous cells into cancerous cells, says Cancer.org. (Photo: American Cancer Society/Getty Images)
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Types of Cervical Cancer - There are two major types of cervical cancer: Squamous cell carcinoma and Adenocarcinoma. It’s estimated that most women (80 to 90 percent) with cervical cancer are diagnosed with squamous cell carcinomas. Once diagnosed with cancerous cells, it can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. (Photo: BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images)
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What Causes It? - Having a high-risk strain of the common STD human papillomavirus (HPV) is the number on risk factor. However, other risk factors include smoking, having more than one sexual partner, being a secondhand smoker, having a compromised immune system, having a lot of children and being on birth control pills for a long period of time, WebMD says. (Photo: Getty Images)
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How Common Is Cervical Cancer? - Because HPV is the most common STD in the U.S. – it’s estimated that almost 40 percent of all women have had it in their lifetime – cervical cancer can be a serious threat, despite it being rare. In 2010, 11,100 American women were diagnosed with cervical cancer and almost 4,000 died, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Photo: Keith Brofsky/Getty Images)
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