Christine Webb, Your Health & Fitness
Every year in the United States, 11,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 4,000 will die from it.
News 13's Christine Webb explains why education and early detection are such an important part of prevention.
Girl Scouts may be an unlikely audience for a discussion about cervical cancer, but Allison Hicks is a cancer survivor and she is trying to spread the word about ways to prevent the disease.
"I had no idea that this type of cancer even exited," Hicks said.
Hicks was diagnosed three years ago. She learned that cervical cancer is caused by the human papilloma virus or HPV -- which is transmitted sexually.
"Cervical cancer is definitely preventable. It's preventable by not allowing transmission of HPV to the woman," said Dr. Ursula Matulonis, of the Dana Farber Cancer Insitute.
The American Cancer Society recommends women be screened with a pap test within three years of becoming sexually active and no later than age 21.
The vaccine Gardasil is now being offered to girls as young as 9 years old to help protect them for cervical cancer.
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