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Globally, majority of cervical cancer is found among women living in poverty without proper access to health care. In the U.S alone, around 13,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually and around 4,000 deaths occur as the result.
Therefore, in an effort to provide awareness to women about cervical health, January is recognized as Cervical Awareness Month by the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC), a program of the American Sexual Health Association (ASHA). NCCC was founded in 1996 and is a growing coalition of individuals coping with cervical cancer and other Human papillomavirus (HPV) related problems. This program consists of women, caregivers, health care providers, bio-tech companies and cancer researchers. It continues to urge every woman to make a resolution to discuss with their health care provider about cervical heath. It also serves as an opportunity to share information about issues related to HPV disease, cervical cancer and its early detection. HPV is a common infection that spreads with sexual contact and is one of the major causes of cervical cancer which can be prevented with appropriate screening and with vaccination.
During the awareness month, NCCC continues to raise awareness about the importance of early detection of cervical cancer with regular cervical screenings. Also, according to ASHA, cervical cancer prevention requires both quality healthcare and comfort in talking about Sexual Health.
Lynn Barclay, the president of ASHA says, “There is no single, simple solution to ending cervical cancer but it’s clear it involves more than just quality health care. When it comes to sexual and reproductive health, we should be comfortable in our own skin, and have the confidence to seek the care and support we need. I urge every woman to talk with her health care provider about all the prevention tools we have at our disposal.” And, a place to start is with ASHA’s top ten questions that individuals can ask their healthcare provider about Sexual Health.
The need for a HPV Vaccination
Human papillomavirus, a very common group of viruses, are transmitted through sexual contact. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 80 million people are currently infected in the United States and around 14 million people become infected annually. Although nearly all the cases of cervical cancers are attributed to HPV infection, there are around 13 cancer causing HPV viruses and the two types (16 and 18) account for 70% of cervical cancer and precancerous cervical lesions. In most of the cases, HPV infections do not cause any symptoms and tend to resolve on its own, however certain types of HPV infection could continue to persist leading to precancerous lesions and if left untreated, it can progress to cervical cancer. HPV vaccination is one of the most effective preventive methods that can protect against some of the common and the less common types of HPV types. However, study shows that the vaccines works best when administered before the exposure to HPV although it cannot treat HPV infection or HPV-associated diseases. The WHO recommends HPV vaccine for girls aged 9-13 years and some countries also have initiated the vaccination for boys. In case they are not vaccinated at young age, the vaccine is recommended for young women through age 26 and men through age 21.
Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is a preventable condition with the current screening tests available. Also, if detected in the early stage, it is highly treatable with a long survival rate, but if left undetected, it has the potential to spread to the bladder, lungs, intestines and the liver. In most of the cases, it is not detected till the disease has reached an advanced stage. The symptoms also do not appear until cancer is advanced presenting unusual vaginal bleeding, abnormal discharge, heavy period and bleeding after menopause. Although there are various types of cervical cancer, around 80-90% are identified as squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma is the second most common form of cervical cancer.
Understanding screening tests for Prevention of Cervical Cancer
There are two screening tests that help prevent cervical cancer or could help detect it in its early stage of the disease. The Pap test looks for cell changes on the cervix that has the potential to become cervical cancer and the HPV test helps detect the human papillomavirus that causes cellular changes. According to NCCC, death rate continues to decline by 2% a year in the United States primarily because of the use of Pap test which allows for the early detection and treatment. According to the American Cancer Society, the guidelines used to detect early cervical cancer and pre-cancerous changes are;
- Women can start getting cervical cancer testing at 21 years of age and if results are normal, the Pap tests should be done every three years
- Women after the age of 30 should have a co-testing, ie a Pap test combined with a HPV test every 5 years until they reach age 65
- Alternatively, women aged 30-65 should get a Pap test every 3 years
- Women who had a regular screening and are over the age of 65 years should not have further cervical cancer screening as long as they had no previous pre-cancers in the last 20 years
Getting involved to help spread awareness about cervical health
As an individual interested in advocating for increased knowledge of cervical health and spreading awareness, here are a few ways of getting involved;
- Connect with local groups like community health clinics to help host an educational event providing knowledge to women
- Connecting with health care providers to offer free screening programs
- Encouraging the local radio stations to help raise awareness about cervical health
- Offering Presentation to Local organizations or colleges
- Create an awareness event that can help raise money for cervical cancer prevention in the local community
- Volunteering to help raise awareness about cervical cancer and HPV disease in the local community
- Helping NCCC promote the significance of cervical health on social media
References
https://health.gov/news/blog/2019/01/toolkit-cervical-health-awareness-month/
http://www.ashasexualhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/PressRelease_CHAM.pdf
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/human-papillomavirus-(hpv)-and-cervical-cancer
https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/vaccine.html
https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/special-coverage/cervical-health-awareness-month.html
http://www.nccc-online.org/hpvcervical-cancer/cervical-health-awareness-month/