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The severity and incidence of Cervical Cancer has been greatly reduced from once being a killer disease to one that is relatively under control today in the developed countries.  In the US, the widespread use of cervical screening programs has reduced mortality rates by 74% from 1955 to 1992. Death rates continue to drop at a steady 4% annually.

Regular pap tests and effective early stage treatment are responsible for the remarkable improvement in cervical cancer survival rates in the US. The Pap test screening procedure works in two ways; it detects changes in the cervix before cancer cells develop and it also detects cancer in its early curable stages. Treatment at the earliest stages of Cervical Cancer has improved the 5 year survival rate by as much as 92%, while the overall 5 year survival rate stands at 72%.

In the developing countries however the story of cervical cancer survival rates is exactly the opposite. It is estimated that worldwide there are 473,000 new cases detected each year of which there are 253,500 deaths reported. 80% of these cases are from the developing countries. In the US, Cervical Cancer is the 8th most deadly cancer, but worldwide it is the 5th. In parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, more women die from Cervical Cancer than from childbirth.

The reason is a lack of screening procedures in these countries.  It is estimated that only 5% of women in developing countries are screened for Cervical Cancer as against 40-50% in the developed world, thereby drastically reducing cervical cancer survival rates in these countries.

Recently, several countries like China, India and Costa Rica have begun campaigns to control the disease to improve cervical cancer survival rates in their countries by introducing low-cost screening techniques. Prevention is the key to improving survival rates. Studies have indicated that a single screening in women 35 years of age and above can reduce the incidence of Cervical Cancer by as much as 25-35%.

As cervical cancer develops most often in midlife around the age of 65, it is important that older women continue to have regular Pap tests. This is also necessary because Cervical Cancer also tends to reoccur after being treated. Reoccurrence of the cancer can be treated just as effectively.

With more and more countries prioritizing screening measures, it is expected that cervical cancer survival rates will only improve with each passing year.

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