The American Cancer Society estimates 13,360 people are diagnosed with and 4,320 people die from cervical cancer every year in the U.S. 

Dr. John Wallbillich is a gynecologic oncologist and assistant professor at Wayne State University and Karmanos Cancer Institute. He says cervical cancer, which affects the cervix and other reproductive organs, is preventable and can be caught through regular screenings and the HPV vaccine.

“At least 95 percent, in some cases it’s thought to be 99 percent, of cases are caused by those cancer-causing strains of HPV,” Wallbillich says.

People 9–45 years old can get vaccinated against HPV. 

Wallbillich says people often do not have symptoms of cervical cancer. That’s why it’s important for women in their 20s and up to get routine pap smears, under the guidance of their primary care or OBGYN. 

He said people should see their doctor immediately if they experience any symptoms such as vaginal bleeding, especially in women after menopause.

“There’s a lot of new blood vessel growth involving cancers, and those blood vessels are not well organized, so they can kind of bleed a lot… There can be pain, given that it’s involving the pelvis, it could obstruct the urinary system,” he explained. “The more advanced cervical cancer is, the more symptomatic it is.” 

“The goal, besides trying to prevent it in the first place, would be to catch it before it even has any symptoms,” he said. 

Wallbillich said there is also HPV DNA testing which begins for women in their 30s, which is usually done during a pap smear.

Wallbillich said women of color often contract cervical cancer and die from it at higher rates than white women. 

“Especially in metro Detroit, we see both a lot of white and Black women and other ethnicities, but there’s about a 50% greater mortality [rate] among Black patients with cervical cancer than white patients,” he said. 

Wallbillich said that may be due to a lack of adequate affordable healthcare and comprehensive OBGYN care options for minority and older women, lack of transportation, and geography, with worsening disparities for Black and brown communities in rural counties.  

In the U.S., American Indian and Alaskan Native women have the highest risk and mortality rate for cervical cancer.

Wallbillich said there is a state-wide effort to increase breast cancer and cervical cancer screening — the Michigan Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP). Among younger women, however, he said there is more work to do to reach communities with social disparities. 

“It’s so multifactorial, and there’s a lot of societal disparities. It can be very tricky to really try to make a dent in it, but there are those programs. I mean, people are trying,” he said.