The American Cancer Society predicts that there will be about 11,070 new cases of invasive cervical cancer in the United States in 2008. About 3,870 women will die from this disease that same year. Some researchers think that non-invasive cervical cancer is about 4 times as common as the invasive type. When found and treated early, cervical cancer often can be cured.

Cervical cancer was once one of the most common causes of cancer death for American women. But since 1955 the number of deaths from cervical cancer has gone down a lot. The main reason for this change is the use of the Pap test to find cervical cancer early. (Please see the section "Can Cancer of the Cervix Be Prevented?")