12-07-2017 | Cervical cancer | Book chapter | Article
Cervical Cancer
Authors: Federico Collettini, M.D., Bernd Hamm, M.D.
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Abstract
Cervical cancer is the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer among females worldwide, with an estimated 528,000 cases and 266,000 deaths in 2012 (http://globocan.iarc.fr/old/FactSheets/cancers/cervix-new.asp). In less developed countries the incidence of cervical cancer remains substantially higher than in industrialized countries and accounts for almost 12% of all female cancers. High-risk regions include Eastern Africa, Melanesia, and Southern and Middle Africa (http://globocan.iarc.fr/old/FactSheets/cancers/cervix-new.asp). In Europe, about 58,000 women are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer per year and about 24,000 women die from the disease (Ferlay et al. 2013). In Germany, approximately 5000 new cases are diagnosed per year and approximately 1500 women die from cervical cancer every year (Ferlay et al. 2013). Historically, the mean age of onset used to be 52 years, but there is a tendency toward earlier onset. In fact, recent data show that on average each year approximately 52% of cervical cancer cases were diagnosed in females aged under 45, with a peak in the age-specific incidence rates in the 25–29 age group (Cancer Research UK 2016).