Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, and it can be diagnosed in the earliest stages with screening, leading to better treatment outcomes. Access to appropriate screening and treatment remains critical to the goal of eradicating cervical cancer as a threat to women. Unless every Texas woman can receive timely cervical cancer screening, treatment, and information on prevention, cervical cancer deaths will not be eliminated.

The most common sexually transmitted virus in the US is genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, with 20 million Americans currently infected and another 6.2 million becoming infected each year. Although HPV causes serious damage to women's health, including cervical cancer, awareness of the disease is surprisingly low.

Temple University Hospital's Center For Women's Health is participating in a national study to determine the safety and effectiveness of an investigational treatment for cervical dysplasia. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 500,000 women are diagnosed with high-grade cervical dysplasia each year, with roughly 10,000 cases progressing to cervical cancer.

While a newly marketed vaccine promises to drastically reduce human papilloma virus (HPV) infections, the major cause of cervical cancer, a new discovery by University of California, Berkeley, researchers could some day help the millions of people already infected and at constant risk of genital warts and cancer.

The news on cervical cancer vaccine tops the list of The Society for Women's Health Research, which announced the top 5 women's health stories of 2006. The list covers advances in research of particular interest to women and new sex-specific treatments and is selected by its scientific programs staff.