EARLY DETECTION

Print out this cheat sheet and stick it in your purse or handbag. It outlines the major risk factors and warning signs of gynecologic cancers.

A new DNA test for the virus that causes cervical cancer does so much better than current methods that some gynecologists hope it will eventually replace the Pap smear in wealthy countries and cruder tests in poor ones.

Though relatively rare, it is one of the easiest cancers to spot and diagnose. And if treated early, it is usually curable. So why do experts find oral cancer so vexing?

Anal cancer, which is uncommon and very treatable, can often be overlooked, experts say.  It accounts for just 1.5 percent of all digestive tract cancers, and it's got a cure rate of at least 85 percent when caught early, says colorectal surgeon Dr. Stephen M. Cohen.

Myths surrounding how cancer develops—and its course as a disease—still exist, even among the educated. Its occurrence inspired fear and perhaps even shame. Some of those attitudes linger even today, though treatments are more effective than ever and some cancers are managed as chronic conditions rather than a terminal disease.

The risk of a person getting stomach cancer in their lifetime is about 1 in 100, but it is slightly higher for men than for women. Stomach cancer is much more common in other countries. It was once a leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, but it is now much less common.

Early detection of second breast cancers can reduce the risk of death by as much as half, according to an international study.