Cervical cancer can be prevented with simple tests, vaccine
Parkland experts join education effort during Cervical Health Awareness Month
Your mother and grandmother were urged to get Pap smears tests regularly, and this time-proven test is still helping protect women from cervical cancer today. Along with HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination at an early age and HPV tests when recommended, Pap smears can help prevent a disease that affects more than 12,000 women and kills more than 4,000 in the U.S. annually.
Since its introduction in the 1950s, the Pap test has helped to dramatically lower the incidence and mortality rate of cervical cancer. But not all women have access to this essential screening tool.
According to Debra L. Richardson, MD, a physician at Parkland Memorial Hospital’s GYN Oncology Clinic and Assistant Professor in the OB/GYN Division of The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, cervical cancer disproportionately affects women of lower socio-economic status. Over half of all new cases in the U.S. are among women who have never or rarely been screened.
The American Cancer Society states that risk factors for cervical cancer include HPV infection, smoking, immunosuppression, multiple lifetime sexual partners, having sexual intercourse at a young age (less than 18), history of sexually transmitted infections (such as chlamydia), diet low in fruits and vegetables, long-term use of oral contraceptives, having multiple full-term pregnancies, being younger than 17 at your first full-term pregnancy, poverty and having a family history of cervical cancer.
However, none of these common risk factors seemed to apply to Dallas resident Naomie Pavey, 53, who was diagnosed two years ago with Stage IIB adenocarcinoma, a rare form of cervical cancer. A patient at Parkland’s GYN Oncology Clinic, Pavey said that she was stunned to learn that she had a tumor when she went for a regular pelvic exam.
Approximately 90 percent of cervical cancers are squamous cell, while only 10 percent are adenocarcinoma.
“The only risk factor that might apply to me,” she said, “is family history, but I just don’t know for sure. My aunt and grandmother had what people called a ‘female cancer’ many years ago and no one talked about it back then.”
Pavey has been undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments for the disease and regularly attends a support group for cervical cancer patients. One of the hardest things for her, she says, is watching young women in their 20s and 30s deal with the life-altering effects of cervical cancer.
“This is a devastating disease that affects many young women. It can be deadly, and many women lose their fertility. But in most cases, it can be prevented. Knowing there’s a vaccine for HPV, which causes most cervical cancers, why wouldn’t you want to protect your children?” she asked.
During National Cervical Health Awareness Month, Dr. Richardson and other physicians around the country are reminding women of all ages and ethnicities to follow simple guidelines that can save their lives.
“HPV vaccination at an early age and regular Pap smears are proven ways to prevent the disease and detect abnormalities that could develop into cancer,” Dr. Richardson said. “Unfortunately, many women who do not have access to preventive care may not get the vaccine or may go for many years without a Pap smear.”
The average age of women to develop cervical cancer is between 45 to 48 years old, but Dr. Richardson has seen patients as young as 20 with the disease. The American Cancer Society recommends that women start getting Pap tests at age 21.
The overwhelming majority of cervical cancer cases are caused by HPV, a virus that affects human skin and the moist membranes that line the mouth, throat, feet, fingers, nails, anus and cervix. HPV vaccines can help prevent infection from both high risk HPV types that can lead to cervical cancer and low risk types that cause genital warts.
The American Cancer Society recommends that both boys and girls get the HPV vaccine between the ages of 9 to 26. The optimal age for HPV vaccination is around age 11 to 12.
“It’s something I’ll be talking to my 10-year-old granddaughter about soon,” Pavey said. “You don’t want to scare young people, but they need to have a healthy appreciation of risks involved as they become adolescents. We need to do all we can to prevent cervical cancer and other diseases associated with HPV.”
In its earliest stages, there are usually no symptoms of cervical cancer. Dr. Richardson emphasized that women should not ignore certain symptoms that could signal a cancerous or precancerous condition, especially bleeding after intercourse or any abnormal vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain or a change in bladder or bowel habits. Women with these symptoms should see a physician for evaluation.
Found in its early stages, cervical cancer can be successfully treated. Depending on the type and stage of cancer, treatment choices may involve one or more therapies such as surgery, radiation therapy, chemoradiation or chemotherapy.For more information about cervical cancer, please visit http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cervicalcancer/index.
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