Late-stage cervical cancer cases are on the rise
A new study finds that late-stage cervical cancer cases are on the rise in the U.S., and some researchers hypothesize that a decrease in screenings among young women could be why more women are being diagnosed with the deadly disease.
While the overall rate of cervical cancer in the U.S. is on the decline, the number of women suffering from advanced stages of the disease — which has a five-year survival rate of 17% — is increasing. ...
Health conditions such as this are a strong proxy for the quality of and access to women's health services.
Cervical cancer can be prevented virtually entirely through HPV vaccines, which can be administered as early as 9 years of age. The cancer (or its precancerious lesions) can be detected with Pap smears. Early-stage disease can be treated with minimal surgery, with full preservation of reproductive health and capability (e.g., preserving ability to bear children).
Access to all such services is often through public health care, e.g., Medicare, or through health NGOs such as Planned Parenthood.
Both have been under violent assault, in both figurative and literal senses, throughout the southern U.S. Which makes this study, based on 2018 data, all the more concerning.
https://www.npr.org/2022/08/20/1118651578/cervical-cancer-rising-hpv