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Living Well DC
Living Well DC

Cervical Cancer

What is Cervical Cancer?

Cervical cancer occurs when the cells lining the cervix begin to grow out of control.

Your health care provider will perform a Pelvic examination and a Pap smear to take cells from your cervix. Those cells are then tested by a laboratory to see if there are any abnormal cells.

What is HPV?

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common virus affecting both men and women. Most HPV infections go away by themselves within 2 years, but some will last longer and cause a portion of cancers. HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer in women but is also linked to vulvar, vaginal, penile, anal cancers and cancers of the mouth and throat. The HPV vaccine can prevent cancers associated with the virus. Vaccination is recommended for both girls and boys at 11 or 12 years before they are exposed to the virus.

An HPV test looks for the virus that causes cervical cancer. These tests are only recommended for screening in women aged 30 years and older.

What is a Pap Test?

A Pap test is used to find cell changes or abnormal cells in the cervix. (These abnormal cells may be pre-cancer or cancer, but they may also be other things, too.) Cells are lightly scraped or brushed off the cervix. They are sent to a lab and looked at under a microscope to see if the cells are normal or if changes can be seen.

Who should get tested according to the screening guidelines?

  • Women aged 21 through 29 should get a pap test.
  • Women aged 30 and older should get a HPV test.
  • Women aged 30 and older should get a HPV test.

Cervical Cancer Rates in DC

  • The number of women who are diagnosed with cervical cancer (7.8 per 100,000) was similar to the national rate (7.7 per 100,00 women) between 2015-2019.
  • The number of deaths due to cervical cancer (2.7 per 100,000) was higher than the national rate of 2.2 per 100,000 women between 2015-2019.
  • White women had a higher cervical screening rate than African American/Black women (85.1% vs 80.4%).

Find more information on cervical cancer on the CDC webpage: www.cdc.gov/cancer/cervical/index.htm

Project WISH

Project WISH (Women Into Staying Healthy) provides free breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services to eligible women in the District of Columbia. Project WISH also provides patient navigation, transportation assistance and cancer education to all women enrolled in the project.

WISH is a program designed to increase early detection and treatment of breast and cervical cancers by offering free breast and cervical cancer screenings, diagnostic services, and patient navigation to women between the ages 21 to 64 who are uninsured or underinsured.