Minority Women's Health

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Cervical Cancer

Minority Women's Health > Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders and Native Hawaiians > Health Topics > Cervical Cancer

The cervix connects the uterus (where a baby grows) to the vagina (the birth canal). Cervical cancer is a disease in which cancer cells are found in the tissues of the cervix. Before cancer cells are found on the cervix, abnormal cells start to appear. Cancer that goes untreated starts to grow and spread more deeply into the cervix and to nearby areas. Cancer of the cervix usually grows over a period of time.

If found early enough, abnormal cells can be treated before they turn into cancer. Your doctor finds these cells by doing a Pap test.

Get a Pap test every one to three years if you have been sexually active, starting at no later than at 21 years old. After your first Pap test, you should have a Pap test at least once every three years. Talk to your doctor about how often you should have a Pap test and pelvic exam.

Asian American/Pacific Islander women and Vietnamese American women especially, tend to have much lower rates of cervical cancer screening than other groups. Vietnamese women have high rates of cervical cancer, 5 times higher than rates for white women.  Many Vietnamese women do not like to talk about disease as this is seen as bad luck. Modesty and the belief that only married women need to have pelvic exams and Pap tests means that cervical cancer is more often found in advanced stages. But, it is important to talk to your doctor about the exams and test that can help protect you.

Almost all cervical cancers are caused by two types of human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that is spread through sex. Other types of HPV can cause genital warts. Many types of HPV do not cause problems at all. HPV can't be cured, but you can talk about treatment options with your doctor if abnormal cells grow.

The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) program provides free or low-cost Pap testing to women who don't have health insurance. To learn more about this program, please contact the CDC at 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636).

Publications

1.   Fact Sheet — Cervical Cancer — This easy-to-read fact sheet answers the common questions patients have regarding cervical cancer.

   http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/cervical-cancer.cfm

2.   Asian American and Pacific Islander Women's Health: Multilingual Cancer Screening Recommendations — This multilingual site offers several languages to help Asian-American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian women understand the importance of having mammograms and pap smears at regular intervals. Materials are offered in Samoan, Cambodian, Laotian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Thai.

   http://www.apanet.org/~fdala/

3.   Cervical Cancer Screening: What Vietnamese Women Should Know — This booklet, written in Vietnamese, provides information about the importance of Pap tests to detect cervical cancer.

   http://www3.cancer.gov/hpb/vietnamese/cervical/

4.   HPV Vaccine Information For Young Women — This fact sheet answers commonly asked questions about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which is given to young women to prevent the types of HPV that cause most cases of cervical cancer and genital warts.

   http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/STDFact-HPV-vaccine-young-women.htm

5.   The Pap Test — This fact sheet answers questions that women commonly have about the pelvic exam and pap test, why each is important, how each is performed and by whom, how the results are interpreted, and what can cause an abnormal pap test result.

   http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Detection/Pap-test

6.   What You Need To Know About Cancer of the Cervix — This booklet on cervical cancer discusses possible causes, symptoms, treatments, and related emotional issues, and provides questions to ask your doctor. It also includes a glossary of terms and links to other resources.

   http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/cervix

7. Asian Language Materials (Copyright © American Cancer Society) — This Web site lists the American Cancer Society materials available in several Asian languages, including Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

   http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ASN/ASN_0.asp

8. Asian Pacific Islander Cancer Education Materials Tool (Copyright © American Cancer Society) — This catalog of information about cancer provides links to Web sites that offer Asian-Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians education materials on a variety of cancer topics.

   http://www.cancer.org/acmmain

9.   FAQs about Cervical Cancer/HPV Vaccine Access in the U.S. (Copyright © ASHA) — This fact sheet provides information about HPV vaccines. It explains the vaccination recommendations and the most effective distribution methods and ages for administering the vaccine.

   http://www.ashastd.org/pdfs/HPV_FAQ_032007.pdf

10.   Strength as a Survivor: Living After Cancer Treatment (Copyright © Lance Armstrong Foundation) — This brochure was written for Asian-American cancer survivors. It discusses the many physical, practical, and emotional concerns of cancer survivors. The brochure encourages survivors to seek support and lists organizations that can help them manage their concerns.

    http://www.livestrong.org/atf/cf/%7BFB6FFD43-0E4C-4414-8B37-0D001EFBDC49%7D/brochure_asa.pdf...

Organizations

1.   National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, NCCDPHP, CDC
2.   Office of Minority Health, OPHS, OS, HHS
3. American Cancer Society
4. Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training
5. Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum
6. Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations
7. National Asian Women's Health Organization
8. National Cervical Cancer Coalition

= Indicates Federal Resources

Resources reviewed March 2008.