Progress Against Cervical Cancer: 2 RCCA Oncologists Discuss Advances in Prevention and Treatment

“Smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke and having a weakened immune system can increase the risk for developing cervical cancer as a result of HPV infection,”²  notes Hannah Yamin, DO, a board-certified medical oncologist and hematologist who practices in RCCA’s North Falmouth, MA, office.

The cancer specialists note that in addition to not smoking and attending to their overall health, women can take two key steps to reduce their risk for cervical cancer. First, Dr. Yamin says, regular screening is important. “Cervical cancer tends to develop slowly, with the tissues of the cervix undergoing a series of precancerous changes before actual cancer is present. So, seeing your OB/GYN or other healthcare provider and having screenings at intervals appropriate for your age and risk profile is really important.”

The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends that women begin cervical cancer screening at age 25, and that women ages 25 to 65 should be screened every 5 years.³ According to the ACS, women should receive:

• A primary HPV test, by which cervical cells are gathered and tested for the presence of an HPV strain;³ or,

• A “co-test” that combines an HPV test with a Papanicolaou test (or Pap smear), which assesses cervical cells for potentially cancerous cellular changes or cervical cancer itself, as well as for HPV; or, ³

• Only a Pap test, but at 3-year intervals rather than every 5 years.³

Second, says Dr. Hellmann, vaccination against HPV is an effective means of reducing the risk of cervical cancer. “A 2020 study that followed more than 1.6 million girls and young women over an 11-year period found that HPV vaccination reduced the rate of cervical cancer by about 88%,” the gynecologic oncologist explains.⁴ She adds, however, that the vaccine is most effective when it is administered before a person has become sexually active and potentially exposed to HPV. For that reason, she notes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends beginning vaccination – which is administered in either two or three shots spread out over time – at age 11 or 12 years.⁵ “However, the CDC recommends vaccination through age 26 years if someone did not receive adequate doses of the vaccine earlier. The agency also says that some people ages 27 to 45 years may want to talk with their healthcare provider about whether vaccination may make sense for them,” she explains.

Cervical Cancer: Trends, Signs, and Symptoms

Thanks in large measure to screening and HPV vaccination, the overall rate of new cases of cervical cancer has declined markedly in recent years.⁶ However, the American Cancer Society estimates that an estimated 13,360 women across the United States will be diagnosed with the disease this year.¹ Further, for reasons that are not entirely clear, the rate of new cases has increased by 1.7% annually over the last 8 years among women ages 30 to 44.⁶

Another troubling trend: 36% of girls and 41% of boys ages 13 to 17 were not up to date with their HPV vaccines as of 2023.¹

Dr. Yamin notes that common symptoms of cervical cancer include:

• Vaginal bleeding after intercourse, between periods, or after menopause

• Unusually heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding

• Watery, bloody vaginal discharge

• Pelvic pain or pain during intercourse.⁷

“In most cases, these symptoms will be caused by something other than cancer. So, experiencing one or more of them is not a reason to panic, but it is a reason to see your OB/GYN or other healthcare provider promptly to determine the underlying cause and to take appropriate steps to obtain relief and have peace of mind,” says Dr. Yamin.

Treating Cervical Cancer

If you or a loved one is facing cervical cancer, it is important to know that physicians have more options than ever before to create highly individualized treatment plans based on the characteristics of the cancer and a woman’s overall health. This ability to personalize care has greatly enhanced oncologists’ ability to achieve good outcomes. In fact, the cervical cancer death rate has dropped by more than half over the past five decades.⁶ Factors that an oncologist will consider when formulating a treatment plan include:

• The location of the cancer within the cervix and, if applicable, beyond the cervix
• The type of cells involved
• The patient’s age and overall health
• The patient’s plans for future childbearing

Dr. Hellmann notes that the following cervical cancer treatments, alone or in combination, might be

recommended:

• Surgery to remove abnormal precancerous cells and to treat early-stage cervical cancers. For precancerous conditions, abnormal cells can be removed via conization (a type of biopsy), frozen via cryosurgery, or obliterated with extreme heat with cryosurgery. For cervical cancer, surgical options include trachelectomy (removal of the cervix) or hysterectomy (removal of the uterus); the former procedure preserves fertility, while the latter does not. When cervical cancer has spread, surgery may also involve removal of pelvic lymph nodes and nearby tissue.

• Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. Administered alone or in combination with chemotherapy, radiation can help shrink or obliterate an early-stage cervical cancer or minimize symptoms in a later-stage cancer. Radiation can be delivered to the body from a machine (called external beam radiation) or internally through placement of tiny pellets that emit radiation over a small area (called brachytherapy).

• Chemotherapy involves administration of medications that kill cancer cells and slow or prevent tumor growth. Chemotherapy is administered orally or intravenously.

• Chemoradiation combines chemotherapy and radiation therapy to maximize the effectiveness of both.

• Targeted therapies act on specific proteins that help abnormal cells proliferate and form tumors.

• Immunotherapies are agents that prompt the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells.

Turn to RCCA for Cervical Cancer Treatment

Drs. Hellmann and Yamin are among 100+ medical oncologists and hematologists who practice with RCCA at 26 locations across New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, and the Washington, D.C., area. RCCA’s cancer specialists see more than 30,000 new patients each year and provide care to more than 265,000 established patients, collaborating closely with those patients’ other physicians. RCCA physicians offer patients innovative therapies, including immunotherapies and targeted therapy, as well as access to approximately 300 clinical trials.

In addition to serving patients who have solid tumors, blood-based cancers, and benign blood disorders, RCCA care centers also provide infusion services to people with a number of non-oncologic conditions—including multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, asthma, iron-deficiency anemia, and rheumatoid arthritis—who take intravenously-administered medications.

To learn more about Regional Cancer Care Associates, call 844-928-0089 or visit RCCA.com.

References

1. Cancer Facts and Figures 2025. American Cancer Society. Published January 2025. Accessed January 23, 2025.
2. National Cancer Institute. Cervical Cancer Causes, Risk Factors, and Prevention. https://www.cancer.gov/types/cervical/causes-risk-prevention. accessed January 30, 2025.
3. The American Cancer Society Guidelines for the Prevention and Early Detection of Cervical Cancer. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/cervical-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/cervical-cancer-screening-guidelines.html. Accessed January 19, 2025.
4. Lei J, Ploner A, Elfstrom KM, et al. HPV vaccination and the risk of invasive cervical cancer. N Engl J Med. 2020;383(14):1340-1348.
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). HPV Vaccination Recommendations. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/hpv/hcp/recommendations.html. Accessed January 30, 2025.
6. American Cancer Society. Key statistics for cervical cancer. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/cervical-cancer/about/key-statistics.html.

Updated January 16, 2025. Accessed January 19, 2025.

7. American Cancer Society. Signs and symptoms of cervical cancer. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/cervical-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/signs-symptoms.html. Updated October 2, 2024. Accessed January 19, 2025.