How do you test for cervical cancer? I am 22 yrs. old

Dear Anon, thank you for this great question!

Cancer of the cervix is the second most common cancer in women worldwide, and is a leading cause of cancer-related death in women in underdeveloped countries. However, we are seeing an increase of this cancer in developed countries such as the United States because of the increase threat of HPV virus transmission.

The good news is that with early detection, especially routine Pap smears, nearly every case of cervical cancer can be prevented or cured.

If a Pap Smear comes back positive for cancer cells, treatment consists of surgery (including local excision) in early stages and chemotherapy and radiotherapy in advanced stages of the disease. An effective vaccine, the HPV vaccine, for the two most common strains of HPV has recently been licensed and people who are active sexually and with multiple partners this vaccine may be an option to seriously considered.