Cervical Cancer: The Deadly, Preventable Disease

In 2025, approximately 13,360 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and about 4,320 women will die from it, according to the American Cancer Society Cancer Facts and Figures 2025 report.

The FDA recently approved Teal Health’s Teal Wand, the first at-home, vaginal, self-collection device for cervical cancer screening, according to a news release. Rahma S. Mkuu, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor in the Department of Health Outcomes & Biomedical Informatics at the University of Florida College of Medicine, is currently researching ways to improve access to the Teal Wand and to figure out ways to boost women’s confidence to use it correctly.

“In cancers among women, cervical cancer used to be the leading cause of death in the United States,” Mkuu said in an interview with Managed Healthcare Executive. “Many women still are dying from cervical cancer and this is because of lack of access to care.”

Mkuu cited lack of insurance, financial instability and even fear as potential reasons women may forego their screening, which includes an “infamous” Pap smear.

“On top of access to care issues, we also have the comfort stigma and all these other factors preventing women from getting screened,” Mkuu said.

Almost all cervical cancers are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), which is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The American Cancer Society currently recommends that women ages 25 to 65 be tested for HPV every five years.