The California Medical Association (CMA) Foundation has joined forces with CMA and other health advocates across the nation to raise awareness about cervical cancer prevention. The CMA Foundation is part of the national Cervical Cancer-Free Campaign, which is engaged in efforts to increase screening and vaccination and reduce the occurrence of this preventable disease.
Cervical cancer is the second most common form of cancer worldwide and causes 4,000 deaths in the United States yearly. According to the American Cancer Society’s California Cancer Facts & Figures 2012 report, it is expected that California will have 1,455 new cases of cervical cancer in 2012, and 435 deaths from the disease.
Cervical cancer is one of the few preventable cancers that can easily be detected through an inexpensive screening and prevented through vaccination. Studies show the vaccine has the potential to prevent up to 70 percent of cervical cancer cases and deaths in California annually.
The CMA Foundation has developed resources for physicians and their patients focusing on cervical cancer prevention, including the HPV vaccination. For more information on cervical cancer and HPV, visit the CMA Foundation website at www.thecmafoundation.org/projects/HPV.