Straight to the Source: Reducing the Risk of Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is one of the most common reproductive cancers affecting women. The good news is that the means of preventing the disease have also become common knowledge. Women who pay attention to the risk factors and take advantage of regular screening tests can avoid cervical cancer entirely or catch it before it has a chance to spread.

Small Wonder: New Treatment Option for Cervical Cancer
When it comes to surgery, small is beautiful. Smaller incisions mean less blood loss, less scarring, and shorter hospital stays. Yet small has not usually been an option for women with cervical and uterine cancers. “For a lot of these women, the only form of therapy is to have a big incision,” says Warner K. Huh, M.D., a UAB gynecologic oncologist. “We’re talking about an incision that may be 18 inches long” for a conventional hysterectomy. “Typically,” he adds, “a patient who undergoes an open hysterectomy remains in the hospital three or four days and doesn’t resume normal activity for at least four to five weeks.”

Can a Shot Shut Down Cervical Cancer?
For decades, the cancer community has shared a dream: What if we could develop a vaccine for cancer? In the case of cervical cancer, that hope has been fulfilled. Researchers have developed two different vaccines that prevent cervical cancer by attacking its primary cause: the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV infections spread through sexual contact and can lead to cervical dysplasia, or abnormal cervical cells, and then to cancer.

Inspiration: Sarah Thomas
Sarah Thomas didn’t have time for cervical cancer. A buyer for an industrial fabrication company, this mother of two active young boys was also physically active herself. In fact, she was in the middle of a high-intensity fitness challenge in early 2006 when a routine Pap smear revealed cervical cancer.