Cervix cancer kills nearly 250,000 a year

GENEVA, Switzerland, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- The World Health Organization says nearly 250,000 women, mostly in developing countries, die every year from cervical cancer.

WHO officials say many of those deaths could be prevented with early screening, the Voice of America reported Monday.

The WHO estimates about 500,000 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed annually, with nearly half of those women succumbing to the disease. The organization said most of the deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Peter Boyle, a WHO cancer research team director, said unless steps are taken to increase early screening and treatment, there will be one million new cases of cervical cancer each year in the developing world by 2050.