In order to deal properly with cervical cancer we need to understand and — if possible — remove the underlying causes and risk factors. We need to ask: "What else is going on inside the body that might allow cervical cancer to develop?"
Accurate diagnosis of the factors behind cervical cancer consists of three steps:
Cause | Probability | Status |
---|---|---|
Human Papilloma Virus | 97% | Confirm |
Cigarette Smoke Damage | 63% | Possible |
Have you suffered from Cervical Cancer?
Possible responses:
→ No / don't know→ Yes, resolved with total hysterectomy → Yes, resolved with local surgery/radiation/drugs → Yes, resolved through natural means only → Current problem needing treatment |
Cigarette smoking accounts for approximately 30% of cervical cancers deaths in the USA, with women smokers having a two-fold increase in the incidence of this disease over never-smokers. Cessation appears to have an immediate effect, with former smokers having no increased risk of developing cervical cancer.
A 9-year prospective study of over 6,000 women found a dose-response relationship between smoking cigarettes and the risk of cervical cancer. Those who smoked 15 or more cigarettes per day were 80% more likely to develop cancer or precancerous lesions than nonsmokers. Those who smoked for 10 or more years were 80% more likely to develop cancer. Starting smoking younger than age 16 produced twice the risk of nonsmokers for developing cervical pathology. Smoking is one co-factor that makes HPV-infected cells more likely to turn cancerous.
HPV confers a very high risk of developing cervical cancer; all cases of cervical cancer are positive for HPV. Cervical cancer is the first major solid tumor cancer to be identified as being caused by a virus.