A Glamorous Icon
- Stage and screen star Marlene Dietrich was one of the most glamorous sex symbols of all time, and died 29 years ago; her health started to decline after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1965, though she did beat the disease.
- The German actress supported the troops during World War II, and was once propositioned by Adolf Hitler, who banned her movies after she declined his personal and professional advances.
- Cervical cancer is easy to treat if caught early; two top doctors discuss important methods of prevention for this type of cancer.
Dietrich died in her Paris apartment twenty-nine years ago to this day at 90 years old, the cause of death was not exactly clear, although some outlets reported kidney failure; her life ending in the mystique that whizzed about her while living.
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Dietrich, also a cabaret singer, performed for the troops during World War II, and often “roughed it with the G.I.’s,” according to The New York Times, “standing patiently in food lines, washing with snow and sleeping in dugouts and ruins, often near the front lines.”
Dietrich was married once to Rudolf Sieber, a film professional who helped her get a part in Tragedy of Love (1923). They married in Germany in 1923 and had one child, Maria Riva, who went on to write a scathing memoir about her mother, chronicling her alcohol and pill abuse. Dietrich and Sieber separated years later but never divorced. He later died of cancer.
Dietrich survived cervical cancer in 1965, but suffered from poor circulation in her legs and her overall health started declining then. Sadly, she spent many of her final years bedridden and in seclusion in Paris.
Screening for Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer, cancer of the cervix, which is the lower part of the uterus, is easier to treat than other cancers if caught early.
A screening method called a pap smear is one of the best methods to detect cervical cancer. Your doctor will take cells from your cervix during a pelvic exam to check for abnormalities.
"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."
Related: Top 5 Excuses Women Give for Not Getting a Pap Smear: Are You Guilty of Using One of These?
According to Dr. Beavis, women should start scheduling their cervical cancer screenings starting at age 21 and continue until age 65. However, even if you're 65 years or older, that doesn't mean you're necessarily off the hook.
In order to skip these screenings, you'll need to have had regular pap smears for the past 10 years in order to get the all clear. These screenings are extremely important, especially since cervical cancer doesn't present symptoms until it has advanced. By following guidelines and regularly having pap smears, your doctor can catch the disease before it has progressed.
Can Older Women Skip Some Cancer Screenings? It's Important to Pay Attention to Guidelines
HPV and Cancer Risk
HPV is one of the main causes of cervical cancer. Leading experts say parents should consider HPV vaccination for children.
"HPV is present in 96% of all cervical cancers and is the leading cause of cervical cancer in the United States," Dr. Bobbie J. Rimel, gynecologic oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA, tells SurvivorNet. "Vaccination is obviously a huge part of what's happening in our world right now," she says, explaining that "The FDA currently has expanded the approval of HPV vaccine, specifically the Gardasil 9 vaccine, to include the widest range of possible vaccinated patients, which includes children, boys and girls, from ages 9, to now men and women up to the age of 45."
Some parents question vaccinating their children since HPV is primarily contracted through sexual contact, but it's fairly easy to transmit even without sexual situations. "That sexual contact doesn't have to be vaginal intercourse with a penis. That sexual contact can be hand to genital, mouth to genital, genital to genital contact of any kind. That being said, the FDA approval allows for children as young as age nine to be vaccinated."
Dr. Rimel also says that "one of the reasons behind giving children HPV vaccinations and not waiting until teenage or adult years is because the immune system of children is very robust. And their ability to create a lifelong immunity based on a vaccination is greater than in the adult body."
She also says that it may prevent further infection. "HPV vaccination is the single greatest anti-cancer move we can make for our children today."
HPV and Cancer Risk: The Basics
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