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Cervical cancer screening saves lives. Each year, approximately 11,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer. Yet, simple measures including Pap and HPV tests can identify women at risk and prevent the disease, and vaccines can block common types of HPV. Eleven percent of American women report that they do not receive their Pap test screenings. Are you one of them?

“There are women who die from cervical cancer,” Fred Wyand, director of communications at The National Cervical Cancer Coalition, said. “Fortunately, in most industrialized nations, with Pap test programs that are pretty well established, the death rate has plummeted but that obviously still happens even in very wealthy nations … For obvious reasons, any death is tragic, but it is especially vexing with cervical cancer because this is one cancer that is really virtually entirely preventable. Cervical cancer almost never has to happen.”

Pap tests, said Wyand, are “the gold standard of care.” Around for more than 50 years, a Pap test can detect abnormal cells caused by the virus. The HPV test, in contrast, discovers the underlying virus causing the changes. Women should receive a regular Pap test starting at age 21. If the Pap test produces unclear results, an HPV test should be ordered. While condoms can help, they do not provide 100 percent protection.

“(The challenge) is sorting out all the different types of prevention,” Wyand declared. “There is not a lot of awareness of new methods and there is a lot of confusion … For certain women, having an HPV test along with the Pap test can be a nice one-two punch, a nice combo in helping providers determine which women are at greater risk and which ones may need closer follow-up.”

Another prevention method is cervical cancer vaccines, which Wyand claims are highly effective and very safe. Recommended for females age 9 to 24, the two vaccines available on the market prevent Type 16 or 18, two of the most common types of HPV.

“The other thing is making sure we get the prevention tools to the women that need them most. We are not getting the HPV vaccines to nearly as many girls and young women as we would like to. Half of those who are eligible have not even started the series of vaccines, much less completed them … But, as with a lot of new products, it takes some time to gain traction. It’s a little bit disappointing in the uptake. “

Young girls are targeted because the earlier the vaccines are administered, the better the antibody response. Young women tend to encounter HPV fairly soon after becoming sexually active, and the idea is to provide protection before they encounter the virus.

Cervical cancer is caused by certain high-risk types of the Human Papillomavirus. But HPV is a common infection experienced by most women sometime during their lives. Estimates are 70 to 80 percent of women will experience HPV during their lifetime.

It is important to note that HPV is not always a death sentence. Many women experience precancerous conditions related to HPV that never develop into cancer. Caught early, these conditions can be effectively monitored and treated.

There is a continuum of severity, from benign abnormalities to advanced cancer that can spread to other parts of the body.

“For most people, HPV infections, even the high-risk types, are typically pretty harmless stuff,” Wyand said. “The body is amazingly effective in most cases in clearing the virus naturally and for the vast majority of people who will get HPV, which is just about everybody, they’ll never know it is there. They will never suffer anything from it, and it will just pass with them being mostly unaware.”

But – for unknown reasons – that is not always the case and that’s when the possibility of cervical cancer arises.

A young woman once called the organization after her Pap test came back abnormal. Told it looked suspicious and she would need follow-up, the woman had a question. Taking a deep breath, she asked how long she had to get her affairs in order, certain she was going to die. She was informed that most women with HPV never develop cancer.

But whether or not the condition becomes serious, women have to undergo exams and procedures that can be expensive, inconvenient and uncomfortable.

“No matter where a woman is on the spectrum, it’s going to involve spending time in the health care system or, at the very least, more frequent follow-up exams, more frequent Pap tests,” Wyand explained. “It can involve biopsies, which are no fun. It can involve MRIs and CT scans and for women who are dealing with cancer, it can involve various levels of surgery, maybe even chemo and radiation. There are a lot of things that can go wrong with this … none of it is any fun and it is all very difficult.”

Then there are the mental and emotional aspects.

“There’s stigma to this,” Wyand said. ”You’re dealing with private parts. You’re dealing with something that has a connection to sex … It can be embarrassing. (The exams are) not something easy to do.”

Poor women bear the brunt. Cervical cancer, not only in this country but also globally, is increasingly a disease of poverty. Since developing countries often lack infrastructure and screening programs, 80 percent of cervical cancer occurs in poorer nations. Women with less access to income may find it difficult to get to clinics, find childcare, get time off work and pay for treatment.

“You typically see it among women who either have never had a Pap test or haven’t had one in years. And of course for a lot of these women, that’s because they simply don’t have access to health care. Or maybe there are cultural barriers that make it hard for them to get those kinds of exams,” Wyand maintained.

Cervical Health Awareness Month is designed to get the message out: Cervical cancer is preventable and here’s how. Bigger and bigger each year, the month is celebrated with public service announcements, promotions, free screenings and more. The NCCC website is a great place to start, offering an interactive search tool to find free or low-cost screenings.

For more information, visit www.nccc-online.org.

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