Press Release

January is National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

January is National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, with the goal of educating and empowering women across America to visit their clinician for an annual Pap smear test. Vigilance on the part of women about early detection through cervical cancer screening is crucial because cervical cancer, caught early, is nearly 100 percent curable.

Cervical cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer worldwide, and one of the most preventable and treatable. In 2000, the American Cancer Society estimates that 12,800 cases of invasive cervical cancer will have been diagnosed in the United States and about 4,800 women will die from the disease.

Most cervical cancer is preventable. There are two ways to prevent this disease. The first way is to prevent pre-cancers which are best done by avoiding risk factors. For cervical cancer, the most important risk factor is infection with HPV (human papillomavirus). This disease can be passed from one person to another during sex. Having unprotected sex, especially at a young age, makes HPV infection more likely. Also, women who have many sexual partners (or who have sex with men who have had many partners) have a greater chance of getting HPV. Smoking is another risk factor for cervical cancer. Tobacco smoke can produce chemicals that may damage the DNA in cells of the cervix and make cancer more likely to develop. Women who smoke are about twice as likely as non-smokers to get cervical cancer.

The second way to prevent cancer of the cervix is to have regular Pap smear tests. The Pap test can detect HPV infection and pre-cancers. Treatment of these problems can stop cervical cancer before it develops fully. The American Cancer Society offers these recommendations for Pap tests: all women should have yearly Pap smears starting at age 18 or when they begin having sex, the doctor may decide to do the test less often if a women has had three normal tests in a row, women who have had their uterus removed and those past menopause still need to have regular Pap tests.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) reports that between 60 and 80% percent of American women with newly diagnosed invasive cervical cancer have not had a Pap smear in the past five years and may have never had one. The unscreened population groups include older women, and the uninsured, ethnic minorities (especially Latina women, African Americans and Asian Americans), and poor women, particularly those in rural areas.

The Union County Health Department offers a cancer screening clinic that provides screenings for cervical, prostate, skin, colorectal, breast and testicular cancer. The service is based on a sliding fee scale based on income. The Women’s Cancer Initiative, a special grant through the Breast & Cervical Cancer Early Detection Project, Union County Health Department and Memorial Hospital of Union County, provides additional coverage to income and age eligible women for mammograms, clinical breast exams, and Pap tests.