In the year 2000, the American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 12,800 new cases of cervical cancer in the United States. It also used to be one of the most deadly cancers, but that has changed in the U.S. as a result of the Pap test, arguably the most effective cancer test of any kind.
Cervical cancer is still the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide.
Regular Pap tests allow doctors to catch cervical cancer in its early stages, or even while the cells are only in a precancerous state. When it is detected early, the survival rates for women with cervical cancer are very good. For example, though the overall five-year survival rate for cervical cancer is 69 percent, if the cancer is caught early it is nearly 100 percent. Today, there is no reason for any woman to die of cervical cancer. And with regular Pap tests, virtually no woman would.