With the proliferation of pink that characterizes October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the bright dazzle of the holidays, Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, which falls in January, might be easy to overlook.

But a recent news release from Gov. Rod Blagojevich's office revealed it is estimated 590 Illinois women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer this year, and 210 will die from it.

According to National Cancer Institute statistics, in 2007 it was estimated that 11,150 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer, and more than 3,500 died.

With regular screenings, many of these cases might have been prevented. The institute advises that women begin having yearly Pap tests within three years of becoming sexually active or by age 21.

Under the expansion of the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, women between the ages of 35 and 64 who are uninsured qualify for free pelvic examinations and Pap tests, according to the news release. Should her results indicate cancer or a precancerous condition, an uninsured woman tested through the program would qualify for health care coverage from Healthcare and Family Services to provide for treatment or additional diagnostic tests.

According to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition Web site, www.nccc-online.

org, more than 10 percent of women in the United States report they do not have annual Pap tests. And some women are unaware of the causal link between certain strains of the human papilloma virus, which causes genital warts, and cervical cancer.

For more information on cervical cancer statistics, causes, screenings and treatments, visit the National Cancer Institute's cervical cancer page at www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/cervical.

Women who want more information on how to get screened for breast or cervical cancer can visit the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program Web site at www.cancerscreening.illinois.gov or call 1-800-547-0466.

Annie Getsinger can be reached at agetsinger@herald-review.com or 421-6968.