Cervical Cancer Awareness
- January marks Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, and it’s important that women of all ages know the basics around screening guidelines.
- Pap smears and HPV tests are the most effective way in screening for signs of cervical cancer, which can be extremely important seeing as symptoms of the disease don’t present themselves until the cancer has advanced.
- An expert tells SurvivorNet that it’s recommended women have a pap smear every 3 to 5 years, starting at age 21 and continue until age 65. For women past 65-years-old, you can skip screenings if you have had regular pap smears over the past 10 years.
“A woman doesn’t need to come in for a pap smear every year, but can come in every three to five years, depending on her age,” Dr. Anna Beavis, a gynecological oncologist at John Hopkins Medicine, tells SurvivorNet. “I still recommend that every woman go to their [gynecologist] every year for an exam, even if a pap smear isn’t being done.”
Read MoreDr. Beavis’ recommendation echoes that of the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines, which state women starting at age 21 to age 29 should have a pap smear every three years. For women 30-years-old to age 65, guidelines recommend women should get a pap smear along with an HPV test (or an HPV test alone) every five years. The guidelines also specify which women qualify for three year screenings while others qualify for five. To determine this, it’s important to talk to your doctor as to whether you are “high-risk” of the disease or not.
Cervical Cancer Screening: The Basics
During a pap smear, your doctor will collect a sample of cells from your cervix (using a small brush or spatula). The cells are then examined under a microscope for abnormalities, including cancer and changes that could indicate pre-cancer. However, thanks to years of research, there’s another screening test which can help doctors catch signs of the disease even more effectively.
Related: 'Controversial' HPV Vaccine Shown to be Highly Effective in Wiping Out Cervical Cancer
“In the last two decades or so screening has really changed such that we aren’t just doing pap smears anymore. We’re also doing testing for the virus that causes cervical cancer,” Dr. Beavis says. “That virus is called HPV, or human papilloma virus. Testing for that virus is actually better than a pap smear for understanding if someone is at high risk for having precancer now or developing precancer or cancer in the future. It has become a part of our screening guidelines and can actually help.”
HPV is one of the most common viruses within the United States, and can be contracted through sexual/intimate contact. While there is a definite link between the virus and cervical cancer (as well as a few other types of cancers), there are ways to prevent a diagnosis. Studies have proven that the HPV vaccine, also known as the Gardasil-9 vaccine, can protect against not only cervical cancer, but also vaginal and vulvar cancers in women, and genital warts and anal cancer in both men and women. This is key, especially considering 96% of cervical cancers are linked to HPV. Doctors recommend the vaccine be given to both children and adults; starting at age 9 and until age 45.
Related: Should I Give My Kids the HPV Vaccine? A Leading Doctor On Why She Says "Yes!"
“We are going to see even more of a reduction in cervical cancer because of the HPV vaccine,” Dr. Beavis says. “Pap smears have reduced cervical cancer so much, but the only way to eliminate cervical cancer as a risk to women will be to get [both] women and men vaccinated.”
Dr. Jessica Geiger affirms that the HPV vaccine is completely safe
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