Who is susceptible to cervical cancer

Some people with several risk factors never develop cancer, while others with no known risk factors do. Knowing your risk factors and talking about them with your doctor may help you make more informed lifestyle and health care choices. Human papillomavirus HPV infection. The most important risk factor for cervical cancer is infection with HPV. HPV is common.

Most people become infected with HPV when they become sexually active, and most people clear the virus without problems. There are over different types of HPV. Not all of them are linked to cancer. Starting to have sex at an earlier age or having multiple sexual partners puts a person at higher risk of being infected with high-risk HPV types. Immune system deficiency. People with lowered immune systems have a higher risk of developing cervical cancer.

A lowered immune system can be caused by immune suppression from corticosteroid medications, organ transplantation, treatments for other types of cancer, or from the human immunodeficiency virus HIV , which is the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome AIDS.

When a person has HIV, their immune system is less able to fight off early cancer. Women who have genital herpes have a higher risk of developing cervical cancer.

Women who smoke are about twice as likely to develop cervical cancer as women who do not smoke. People younger than 20 years old rarely develop cervical cancer. The risk goes up between the late teens and mids.

Socioeconomic factors. Still, hundreds of thousands of women in the United States are living with cervical cancer, and about 4, die from the disease every year. Regular cervical cancer screening is paramount for women at any age, but it is particularly important if you are in your 30s or 40s.

As with most other cancers, early detection is key to achieving a positive outcome and improved quality of life. The majority of women who are diagnosed with cervical cancer are between the ages of 35 and It rarely occurs in women younger than HPV human papilloma virus infection can increase your chances of developing cervical cancer at any age, as can other factors, like being overweight, following poor diet habits and using oral contraceptives for long periods of time.

Ethnicity also plays a role in cervical cancer risk — Hispanic and African American women are more likely to develop cervical cancer than Caucasian women.

We encourage you to visit Moffitt if you have received an abnormal Pap test result, are displaying symptoms of cervical cancer or would like to consult with a board-certified physician about your risk factors and cervical cancer screening options.

No referrals are required to visit our cancer center. Cervical Cancer. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Minus Related Pages. Stay Informed twitter govd.