Prevention

Almost all cervical cancers can be prevented by having regular Pap tests. (Pap is short for Papanicolaou, the name of the doctor who devised the test.) The Pap test can detect HPV infection and precancers. Treatment of these problems can stop cervical cancer before it develops or spreads. An HPV test may be performed at the same time as the Pap test. However, it is not recommended as part of regular Pap testing for women under the age of 30. If the Pap test results are questionable, an HPV test will be performed to determine if a strain of the HPV virus that may lead to cervical cancer is present. Also, the new HPV vaccine may be able to prevent cervical cancer.

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Another way to prevent cervical cancer is to avoid the following risk factors. Women can:

• Delay having sex until they are older.
• Limit the number of sex partners.
• Avoid sexual intercourse with people who have had many partners.
• Avoid sexual intercourse with people who are infected with HPV, genital warts, or other symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease.
• Have safe sex. The evidence is mixed on whether condoms protect against HPV, but they definitely do protect against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
• Quit smoking.

This section has more information on:

HPV vaccine

Pap test

Improving Prevention & Detection