Cervical cancer rates are on the rise among younger women, owing in part to a lack of awareness, screening and prevention.
A new study found that the percentage of women screened for cervical cancer dropped from 47% in 2019 to 41% in 2023.
Among the most preventable cancers, cervical cancer has been increasing in women in their 30s and 40s in particular. Experts say this population is the least likely to be up to date on their screenings, with 29% being overdue.
Cervical cancer starts in the cells of the cervix, which connects the uterus and vagina. It is slow to develop, quietly growing for months or even years before it’s diagnosed. Before developing into cancer, it presents as abnormal cell changes and precancers.
Almost all cervical cancers are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted infection in the US.
The CDC estimates more than 42 million Americans have one strain of HPV, with about 13 million people infected each year.
Over 90% of HPV-associated cancers could be prevented with the HPV vaccination.
However, previous research has shown a sharp decline in public awareness that HPV is linked to several cancers, including cervical, oral, penile, and anal.
The HPV vaccine for girls and women between the ages of nine and 26 was approved by the CDC in 2006. It was expanded to boys and men in 2009 to protect against anal, oral and penile cancers.
The original HPV shots protected against the two riskiest strains of the virus, responsible for 70% of cervical cancers.
However, updated HPV shots now guard against nine strains, effectively protecting patients against 90% of cervical and anal cancers, as well as most strains that cause mouth and throat cancers.
Due to the change in the vaccine, those who have been vaccinated can still experience breakthrough infections and test positive for HPV.
The CDC recommends that kids receive the HPV vaccination at around 11 or 12, with two doses recommended before their 15th birthday. Three doses are recommended for those who start the series later.
While experts maintain that the HPV vaccine is both safe and effective, suspicion persists, and parents, in particular, seem resistant to enrolling their children in the preventative protocol.
About 54.5% of US adolescents have received all recommended doses of the HPV vaccine, while the government’s target is to achieve an 80% vaccine rate for those between the ages of 10 and 19.
Beginning at 25, The American Cancer Society recommends that patients have a primary HPV test every five years until they reach 65.
But some experts maintain that women between 25 and 49 should be screened every three years.
While there are more than 200 strains of HPV, only a handful of high-risk strains cause cancer.
“These types are included in routine cervical cancer screenings because they have the highest chance of causing cancer. If an HPV test is positive for high-risk HPV, it indicates an active infection that increases the risk for development of a pre-cancer or cancer,” Dr. Verda Hicks, immediate past president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, told NBC News.
Up to 20% of women screened for the first time in their 20s or 30s learn that they have high-risk HPV.
While there is no cure for HPV, the immune system typically clears HPV infections within a year or two. Those with high-risk strains experience short-term infections and cellular changes that return to normal when the infection clears.
It’s cause for concern when the infection persists for longer than two years, as this can lead to the development of precancer or cancerous cells, making consistent screening critical to care.
HPV does not disappear from the body entirely and can reactivate when the immune system is taxed by illness or medication.
According to Hicks,1% of people with HPV develop a “long-term, chronic infection” and even fewer develop cervical cancer.
Once a leading cause of cancer death for American women, cervical cancer rates have plummeted by more than 50% since the mid-1970s, largely thanks to the HPV vaccine and screening, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Today, cervical cancer is highly treatable if detected early — but the challenge is that the disease often shows no symptoms until it has already advanced. This makes it crucial to stay on top of screenings.
A 2022 study found that between 2005 and 2019, the percentage of women overdue for cervical screenings increased from 14% to 19%. The primary reasons? Lack of awareness about the need for screenings or simply not knowing when to get them.
Women who live in rural areas are 25% more likely to be diagnosed and 42% more likely to die from cervical cancer compared to women who live in urban areas. The team believes this troubling trend reflects lower screening and vaccination rates.
A 2024 study found that women who are nonwhite, uninsured, or who identify as LGBTQ+ are also less likely to be screened for cervical cancer.
The ACS estimates that in 2025, there will be about 13,360 new cases of invasive cervical cancer diagnosed in the US, and 4,320 women will die from the disease.
