Regular cervical cancer tests boost chances of cure

Women can boost their chances of surviving cervical cancer substantially through regular cervical screening. The authors, from the Center for Research and Development in Gävle and the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, studied all 1,230 women diagnosed with cervical cancer nationwide between 1999 and 2001. In the study, which is the first to estimate chances of surviving cervical cancer, both screen-detected cancers (those with an abnormal smear result one to six months before cancer diagnosis) and symptomatic cancers (all remaining cases) were tested. For women of screening age, there was a 92 percent cure rate after a screen-detected diagnosis, which decreased to 66 percent for symptomatic diagnosis. This result shows a substantial increase in chances of cure for women who attended cervical screening compared to those who did not.