A Springfield doctor says he’s seen a significant increase in advanced cases of cervical cancer in the past several years.

Dr. James Bosscher, a gynecologic oncologist at St. John's says many women aren't getting screened with a pap smears as much as they need to.

30 year old Miranda Dampier got her first abnormal pap smear last year. After another came back abnormal six months later, she found out she had cervical cancer.

"They say it sometimes can be displacia, and I was hoping for that instead of cancer. I never thought it would come back cancer," Dampier said.

Miranda had large tumor on the side of her cervix.

She then underwent six weeks of chemotherapy to shrink the tumor.

"Two weeks after that I had my hysterectomy where they took out my uterus and my cervix. They left my ovaries. Now we will see if I have to have radiation after it," Dampier said.

Miranda's case is uncommon.

She has had annual pap smears since she was 16.

Dr. Bosscher says cervical cancer is a slow growing cancer, and most advanced cases are from lack of screening.

"People aren't going to see the doctor because they don't have health insurance, they can't afford it," Dr. Bosscher said.

Dr. Bosscher says by getting screened regularly and catching the cancer in early stages, there's a 90% cure rate.

He says the cancer is caused by Human papillomavirus, or HPV.

"People still don't equate the relationship between sexual activity and cervical cancer. Sexual activity is a precursor to getting the virus, the virus is associated with 100% of these cancers, and so you take that logic and reverse it, cervical cancer is a sexually transmitted disease," Dr. Bosscher said.

Dr. Bosscher is a big proponent of the Gardasil vaccine, which protects women from four subtypes of HPV.

He says getting the vaccine can eliminate getting cervical cancer and severe pre-cancerous lesions by 70%.

Miranda says this is why she wants her daughter to get the vaccine.

"I don't want her to have to go through any of what I've had to go through," Dampier said.

Only certain subtypes of HPV cause cervical cancer. 90% of the time, HPV infections clear up within two years. It's persistent infections that will cause cervical cancer.