January, Cervical Health Awareness Month, serves as an important reminder to speak with your doctor about how to protect yourself against human papillomavirus infection and to screen for cervical cancer. While the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends annual gynecological examinations for healthy women, recent recommendations have changed for cervical cancer screening. It’s important to be aware of preventative HPV vaccinations as well as the recommended timeline for screenings.
As a gynecologic oncologist at Montefiore Health System in Bronx, New York, I work to educate my patients about cervical cancer and how to decrease their risk of getting this disease. Here are some important questions and answers I use to help reduce the risk of getting cervical cancer. I encourage you to have this conversation with your physician, too.
[See: 10 Concerns Parents Have About Their Kids’ Health.]
Who Gets Cervical Cancer?
In the United States, cervical cancer is the third most common type of cancer of the female reproductive system, and the third most common cause of death from cancers of the female genital tract. Your risk of contracting and dying from cervical cancer is higher in countries where there isn’t screening for cancer and pre-cancer. Screening tools, such as a Papanicolau test (Pap test) or other equivalent, help decrease cervical cancer deaths by 75 percent in countries with such programs. Sadly, we know that women who have never been screened account for more than half of all women with cervical cancer.
Research shows that the average age for developing cervical cancer in the United States is 48, and the risk for having cervical cancer before age 21 is less than 1 percent. Despite your age, it’s important to be aware of the risk factors associated with cervical cancer, including: conditions that impair your immune system (such as HIV, early onset of sexual activity, multiple sexual partners, a high-risk sexual partner who has multiple partners or HPV infection, and history of sexually transmitted infections like Chlamydia or genital herpes.
Finally, cervical cancer is more common in communities with higher poverty levels and among non-white women. If you think you may be at an increased risk for cervical cancer, please discuss your risk factors with your physician, and ask how you can schedule regular screenings and possibly even receive preventative treatments.
[See: 5 Solid Lifestyle Changes to Help Prevent Cancer.]
What Causes Cervical Cancer?
HPV is responsible for the development of more than 99 percent of cervical cancers. In fact, the connection between HPV and cervical cancer is stronger than the association between smoking and lung cancer. It’s important to recognize that HPV infection is very common and affects up to 80 percent of sexually active women in the U.S.
Despite the high prevalence of HPV nationwide, the majority of women who contract HPV will clear the infection and never go on to develop cervical cancer. However, it’s believed that persistent infection causes pre-cancerous changes in the cells of the cervix, and if left untreated over a long period of time, this can potentially progress to invasive cancer.
What Can I Do to Reduce My Risk of Cervical Cancer?
In recent years, vaccinations against HPV have been introduced for both adolescent males and females. This vaccination has the potential to make an impactful difference. If 70 percent of the population gets this vaccination, over time, it’s predicted to help decrease cervical cancers in the U.S. by over 300,000 cases every year. Currently, countries that have achieved vaccination of over 70 percent have already reported up to 40 percent decreases in development of high-risk pre-cancers.
Who Should Be Vaccinated Against HPV?
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in the United States recommends vaccination of girls and boys aged 11 to 12; however, children as young as 9 can be vaccinated. Females who have not been vaccinated or who did not complete their vaccinations should have “catch-up” vaccinations from the ages of 13 to 26. Standard HPV vaccination has not been shown to help women of older ages or who have already had cervical cancer.
[See: Which Practitioner Do I See, and When?]
When Should I Get Screened for Cervical Cancer?
Screening for cervical cancer should start for women ages 21 and older who have normal immune systems and who do not have cancer symptoms. Women who are between 21 and 30 should get screened with a Pap test every three years. The most recent guidelines suggest that screening with Pap testing alone is safe for women 30 and older, and that screening intervals can be lengthened to every five years if HPV testing is performed with the Pap test. While these are general recommendations, it is important that each patient be evaluated by her doctor to discuss co-existing conditions, medical history and any history of a compromised immune system or abnormal Pap testing.
While recent advances in testing for the HPV virus have changed recommendations for treatment and screening intervals, it’s important to discuss your risks with your physician and not delay HPV vaccinations and cervical cancer screenings. Cervical cancer is a highly preventable and curable disease if caught early enough.
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Reducing Your Risk of Cervical Cancer originally appeared on usnews.com
