By Montgomery County Health Department
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – January is National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, and the Montgomery County Health Department urges women to get recommended screening for cervical cancer in 2015. Cervical cancer is a silent killer that strikes without symptoms or pain until the disease is in the most advanced stage. However, cervical cancer is highly preventable due to the availability of screening tests and the vaccine against Human Papillomavirus.
“Deaths from cervical cancer have been cut by more than half in the last 30 years and could be reduced even more through the combination of vaccination and regular Pap screening,” said Joey Smith. “The survival rate is almost 100 percent for women whose cervical cancer is found at an early stage. Women 21 to 65 years of age should get periodic screening for cervical cancer and talk with their health care providers about ways to prevent and reduce the risk of cervical cancer.”
The American Cancer Society estimates almost 13,000 new cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2015 and more than 4,000 women will die from the disease this year. Most cases of cervical cancer are caused by infection with certain strains of Human Papillomavirus, or HPV, a virus so common more than half of all sexually active people will be infected by one or more strains in their lifetimes. HPV vaccines can prevent infection with the kinds of HPV that cause most cervical cancer. The vaccine is recommended for all females 11 to 26 years of age and all males 11 to 21 years of age who have not yet been vaccinated.
The HPV vaccine is available from many healthcare providers. Anyone under age 19 with TennCare or without insurance coverage is eligible to receive HPV vaccine through the Vaccines for Children program at the Montgomery County Health Department. The HPV vaccine works very well, but cannot prevent every case of cervical cancer, so vaccinated women also need regular Pap smears.
Screening and early diagnosis are the best ways to ensure a cervical cancer diagnosis is not fatal. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends a Pap smear for screening for cervical cancer every three years for women ages 21 through 65. Women ages 30 to 65 who want to lengthen the screening interval should get both a Pap smear and be tested for HPV every five years, according to USPSTF guidelines.
The Montgomery County Health Department offers the Tennessee Breast and Cervical Screening Program to assist uninsured women with limited income in getting Pap tests, clinical breast exams and mammograms at no charge. For more information, call the clinic at (931) 648-5747 or visit the Tennessee Department of Health website at http://health.tn.gov/MCH/cancer.shtml.