Women who have regular Pap smear tests to screen forcervical cancer are more likely to survive cancer if they are ever diagnosedwith it, according to a study published in the journal BMJ and reported by Health Day News.

Worldwide, cervical cancer is the third most common canceramong women, though it is rare in the United States. The cancer, which isalmost always caused by the human papillomavirus, develops slowly, can easilybe detected by a Pap smear and is 100 percent treatable.