Cervical Cancer More Common than Thought in Asia

According to cancer expert Margaret Stanley, cervical cancer in Asia is much more common than what most believe. Stanley claims that cervical cancer is extremely underreported in Asia and could be off by 40-50 percent. This statistic is stunning, considering almost half of the world's cervical cancer cases are diagnosed in Asia.

Why such a suspected difference in reported cases? Stanley says that many rural cases are not being diagnosed and these women do not have proper medical care. She also recommends that all government should consider vaccinating women with the HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer. For many governments, the Pap smear is too costly to screen all women. The vaccine is much more cost effective. Cervical cancer is currently the second most common type of cancer among women worldwide, aside from breast cancer.