# Sixty percent of women under 30 have heard of HPV, compared to 48 percent of women 30+ (those most at risk).
# Nearly one third of women under 30 say they have talked to their doctor about HPV and cervical cancer compared to just 18 percent of women 30+.
"The first step in lowering cervical cancer rates is to educate both healthcare providers and women that this cancer is nearly 100 percent preventable through the use of regular screening with the available technologies appropriate to each age group," said Wayne Shields, president & CEO, ARHP. "One of the keys to making prevention possible is broader education of both women and providers, focusing on informed, shared decision-making."
Survey Methodology
A survey, fielded by Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner Research Inc., was conducted among 1,000 women between the ages of 18 and 65 from February 11 - 16, 2005. A single-stage random-digit-dial sample representative of residential listed telephone numbers in the 50 United States was used.
About HPV and Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer strikes nearly 11,000 women in the United States each year, and is second only to breast cancer in the number of women it affects worldwide. Cervical cancer is caused by high-risk forms of HPV, which are transmitted sexually. In the majority of women, the virus is eliminated naturally by the body's immune system. But in some cases, the infection persists - sometimes staying dormant in the body months or even years before it becomes active, with the potential to cause cell changes in the cervix that can ultimately become cancerous. The Pap test can identify cells that have become abnormal due to HPV, and HPV testing detects the
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Source:Lippe Taylor