A gynecologist holds a flask for a Pap test, one of several diagnostics for cervical cancer screening. Rabizo/iStockphoto/Getty Images

Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer.

Effective screening can detect precancerous changes years before cancer develops. But more than 4,300 women will die from cervical cancer in the United States this year, according to the American Cancer Society.

That’s why the ACS has changed cervical cancer screening recommendations significantly: For the first time, the group has endorsed people having the option to collect their own samples at home, rather than requiring a clinician to perform the exam.

Screening is so important for cervical cancer because symptoms don’t usually show up until the disease has advanced — and now scre

See Full Page