January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

According to the World Health Organization, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally. WHO launched the first annual Day of Action for Cervical Cancer Elimination in 2020 when there were an estimated 604,000 new cases of cervical cancer. There were 342,000 deaths reported worldwide in 2020 from those diagnosed with this cancer.  More than 14,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer each year but If detected early, it is one of the most successfully treatable cancers through regular screening tests and the HPV vaccine. 

How the HPV Vaccine Protects Against Cervical Cancer

Last January, ICRF interviewed Dr. Rachel A. Katzenellenbogen, Chief, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, on the importance of the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine.