Cervical Cancer: Facts & Resources
Cervical cancer 101:
An overview of cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is cancer that starts in the cervix. The majority of cervical cancers are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).
Once one of the most common causes of cancer death in American women, the incidence of cervical cancer declined significantly thanks to early screening.1 This screening, most often referred to as your Pap smear, typically takes place at your annual or well-woman exam. Unfortunately, over the past few years, screening has been on the decline and cervical cancer rates are back on the rise.
Following the start of the pandemic, cervical cancer screening dropped by 94 percent and remained 35 percent below pre-pandemic levels even after stay-at-home restrictions were lifted. The HPV vaccination, one of the strongest tools we have for preventing cervical cancer, also saw rates decline by more than 70 percent in March 2020.2
According to the American Cancer Society, cervical cancers rarely occur in women who have been getting regular tests to screen for cervical cancer.1 Screening saves lives, yet preventable diagnoses and deaths are still happening. Lack of awareness and education, shame, fear, and access to quality healthcare with a trusted provider are just a few of the many reasons women avoid routine screening.
Additionally, the method for screening has remained the same over the years. The inconveniences of going to a doctor’s office for a cervical cancer screening test include, but are certainly not limited to: time, geography, and the perceived and actual discomfort of screening exams.
We cannot let these factors continue to impede all of the progress that’s been made in women’s health—especially for a disease that is so preventable.
Women deserve better.
Teal is on a mission to get all women screened for cervical cancer.
Current state of cervical cancer in the U.S.: Facts & Figures
Approximately 13,960 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2023.1
4,310 women will die from cervical cancer in 2023.1
34%
of women over 18 years old have not been screened in the last 3 years.2
92%
of cervical cancers are preventable if caught early.3
there is an 18%
survival rate when cervical cancer has spread to distant areas of the body.3
screening rates dropped by 94%
because of covid-19.4
The importance of cervical cancer screening
So, what is screening anyway? There are three types of cervical cancer screening tests (each of which are typically included at recommended intervals during your annual or well-woman exam)5:
1. The Primary HPV (human papillomavirus) test screens for cervical cancer risk factors, since almost all cervical cancers are caused by HPV infections.
2. The Pap test or Pap Smear can find changes in the cervix before cancer develops—and even detect cervical cancer early.
3. A co-test includes both a high risk HPV test & the Pap test.
Here’s why these tests matter:
1 in 3
women have not had their cervical cancer screening.6
Asian Women are
30%
less likely than white women to be current on screening.7
Hispanic women are
40%
More likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer than white Women.8
Black women have
2X
the cervical cancer mortality rate compared to white women.9
Current US screening guidelines: 10
Organization
Recommended screening test and frequency
HPV Vaccination
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force 2018
Age 21-29 years
Pap test every 3 years
Age ≥ 30 years
One of these methods:
- Pap test every 3 years
- Primary HPV testing alone every 5 years
- Co-testing (Pap test and HPV testing) every 5 years
Same recommendations as unvaccinated patients
American Cancer Society
Age ≥ 25 Years
One of these methods:
- Primary HPV testing every 5 years (Preferred)
- Co-testing (Pap test and HPV testing) every 5 years
- Pap test every 3 yeras
Same recommendations as unvaccinated patients
Organization
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force 2018
Recommended screening test and frequency
Age 21-29 years
Pap test every 3 years
Age ≥ 30 years
One of these methods:
- Pap test every 3 years
- Primary HPV testing alone every 5 years
- Co-testing (Pap test and HPV testing) every 5 years
HPV Vaccination
Same recommendations as unvaccinated patients
Organization
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
Recommended screening test and frequency
Age ≥ 25 Years
One of these methods:
- Primary HPV testing every 5 years (preferred)
- Co-testing (Pap test and HPV testing) every 5 years
- Pap test every 3 years
HPV Vaccination
Same recommendations as unvaccinated patients
How screening currently works: 5
An HPV test looks for high-risk HPV strains which can lead to cancer. Healthcare providers can typically diagnose low-risk HPV—which may appear as warts and will typically go away on their own—visually.
All insurance covers the cervical cancer screening test according to the guidelines (3-5yrs); most cover it every year.
To screen for high-risk HPV, the clinician collects the cells (using a speculum & cervical brush). The clinician then inserts the brush into a preservation solution.
The solution is then sent to the lab with an order from the physician to perform either the HPV test and/or Pap smear on the sample.
Results are reported to the patient in 1-3 weeks.
If there is an abnormal result that requires further testing, the next step could be a colposcopy. The procedure11 may look and feel similar to a Pap smear, although this time, your doctor will use a magnifying lens to look at abnormal cells within your cervix. Your doctor will swipe the area with acetic acid, which turns abnormal areas white. Once the abnormal cells are identified, your doctor may take a small amount of tissue (a biopsy) for testing. These cells will then be sent to a lab for analysis. Depending on the result, the testing frequency may increase to allow for closer monitoring.
The future of at-home cervical cancer screening
Today, Teal’s focus is on getting all women screened for cervical cancer. The opportunities for improved health and early cancer detection through widespread, accessible at-home testing are extremely positive.
In a recent Teal Health clinical study, 89 percent of the women who participated said that if at-home self-collection were available, they would get screened on time, every time. Additionally, 91 percent of participants said they preferred the self-collection option compared to having a clinician collect a sample with a speculum exam.
Here are just some of the ways we predict that the future of screening will change women’s healthcare in a radically positive way:
- Make preventative testing and care accessible to all, including those in rural and underserved areas
- Reduce many healthcare disparities in cancer screening, diagnoses and outcomes
- Give women choices when it comes to their intimate screenings
- Enable women with knowledge and data on their own bodies to have informed discussions with their healthcare providers
Join us in creating a more equitable, accessible, and empowered women’s healthcare system.
Be the first to know when you can Get Teal Health in your state:
1. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cervical-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
2. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/2019/034-508.pdf
3. https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/cervical-cancer/statistics.
4. Cancino RS, Su Z, Mesa R, Tomlinson GE, Wang J. The Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Screening: Challenges and Opportunities. JMIR Cancer. 2020 Oct 29;6(2):e21697. doi: 10.2196/21697. PMID: 33027039; PMCID: PMC7599065.
5. https://www.cancer.gov/types/cervical/screening
6. MacLaughlin K, Jacobson R, Breitkopf C, et al. Trends over time in Pap and Pap—HPV cotesting for cervical cancer screening [published online January 7, 2019]. J Womens Health. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2018.7380
7. https://www.ajmc.com/view/cervical-cancer-screening-rates-unacceptably-low-researchers-find
8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8541764/
9. https://jacksonhealth.org/blog/2018-01-15-african-american-cervical-cancer/
10. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/image?csi=3db5c8a1-64d8-47a0-bd5b-62d50fc7adc4&source=contentShare&imageKey=PC%2F82951
11. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/my-pap-test-was-abnormal-now-what
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*The Teal Health Cervical Cancer Screening device is an Investigational Device and is not yet approved by the US FDA.
