Even though its the end of January, its very important for women and the men who love us to learn more about cervical cancer. PLEASE get your pap smears regularly!!

Cervical Cancer Screening Saves Lives, yet...

* 11% of United States women report that they do not have their Pap test screenings
* In the United States, About 10,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year and about 3,700 women die in the USA each year from this disease.
* Women in developing countries account for about 85 percent of both the yearly cases of cervical cancer (estimated at 473,000 cases worldwide) and the yearly deaths from cervical cancer (estimated at 253,500 deaths worldwide).
* In the majority of developing countries, cervical cancer remains the number-one cause of cancer-related deaths among women.
* A woman who does not have her three shot prevention vaccine and her regular Pap test screen and HPV test when recommended, significantly increases her chances of developing cervical cancer.
* High-Risk HPV Types are directly related to cervical cancer, yet many women are unaware of what HPV is or the relationship it has to cervical cancer.


What Is Cervical Cancer?

The cervix is the lower part of the uterus (womb). The upper part, or body, of the uterus, is where a fetus grows. The cervix connects the body of the uterus to the vagina (birth canal). The part of the cervix closest to the body of the uterus is called the endocervix. The part next to the vagina is the ectocervix. Most cervical cancers start where these 2 parts meet.



Cancer of the cervix (also known as cervical cancer) begins in the lining of the cervix. Cervical cancers do not form suddenly. Normal cervical cells gradually develop pre-cancerous changes that turn into cancer. Doctors use several terms to describe these pre-cancerous changes, including cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL), and dysplasia.

There are 2 main types of cervical cancers: squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Cervical cancers and cervical precancers are classified by how they look under a microscope. About 80% to 90% of cervical cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, which are composed of cells that resemble the flat, thin cells called squamous cells that cover the surface of the endocervix. Squamous cell carcinomas most often begin where the ectocervix joins the endocervix.

The remaining 10% to 20% of cervical cancers are adenocarcinomas. Adenocarcinomas are becoming more common in women born in the last 20 to 30 years. Cervical adenocarcinoma develops from the mucus-producing gland cells of the endocervix. Less commonly, cervical cancers have features of both squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas. These are called adenosquamous carcinomas or mixed carcinomas.

Only some women with pre-cancerous changes of the cervix will develop cancer. This process usually takes several years but sometimes can happen in less than a year. For most women, pre-cancerous cells will remain unchanged and go away without any treatment. But if these precancers are treated, almost all true cancers can be prevented.


Can Cervical Cancer Be Prevented?

Since the most common form of cervical cancer starts with precancerous changes, there are 2 ways to stop this disease from developing. The first way is to prevent the precancers, and the second is to find and treat precancers before they become cancerous.

Avoiding Risk Factors

You can prevent most precancers of the cervix by avoiding exposure to HPV. Delaying having sexual intercourse if you are young can help you avoid HPV. Limiting your number of sexual partners and avoiding sex with people who have had many other sexual partners lower your risk of exposure to HPV. Remember that HPV does not always cause warts or other symptoms, so a person may have the virus and pass it on without knowing it.

Condoms provide some protection. A recent study found that condoms ("rubbers") can protect against HPV. Although the protection is not complete, condoms reduced the infection rate by about 70%. That only occurred if condoms were always used and used correctly and consistently. Condoms do not protect completely because HPV can be passed from person to person through skin-to-skin contact with any HPV-infected area of the body, such as skin of the genital or anal area not covered by the condom. Even if there are no visible warts or other symptoms, a person with HPV can still pass on the virus to another person. HPV can be present for years with no symptoms.

Still, condoms may provide some protection against HPV, and they also protect against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases that are passed on through some body fluids. Not smoking is another important way to reduce the risk of cervical precancer and cancer.

Vaccines: Vaccines have been developed that can protect women from HPV infections. So far, a vaccine that protects against HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18 (Gardasil®) and one that protects against types 16 and 18 (Cervarix®) have been studied. In clinical trials Gardasil® was found to prevent genital warts caused by HPV types 6 and 11 and prevent cervix cell changes caused by types 16 and 18. This vaccine can only be used to prevent HPV infection -- before an abnormal Pap test develops. It cannot be used to treat an existing infection.

Gardisil® has been approved by the FDA and should be covered by most medical insurance plans. It should also be covered by government programs that pay for vaccinations in children under 18. You may want to check with your insurance company before getting the vaccine. The vaccine series costs around $360. This cost does not include the doctor’s fee or the cost of giving the injections.

The Gardasil® vaccine requires a series of 3 injections over a 6 month period. The second injection is given 2 months after the first one, and the third is given 4 months after the second. Side effects have been reported to be mild. The most common one is short-term redness, swelling, and soreness at the injection site.

To be most effective, the HPV vaccine should be given before a person becomes sexually active. The Federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has recommended that the vaccine be routinely given to females aged 11 to 12 and as early as age 9 years at the discretion of doctors. The committee also recommended women ages 13 to 26 who have not yet been vaccinated receive "catch-up" vaccinations. The American Cancer Society also recommends that the vaccine be routinely given to females aged 11 to 12 and as early as age 9 years at the discretion of doctors. The independent panel making the Society recommendations found that there was not enough proof of benefit to recommend catch-up vaccination of all women age 19 to 26 years. As a result, the Society recommends “catch-up” vaccinations for females ages 13 to 18 only, and that women aged 19 to 26 talk to their health care provider about whether to get the vaccine, based on the risk of previous HPV exposure and potential benefit from vaccination.

The American Cancer Society guideline focuses on Gardasil® at this time. As new information on Cervarix®, Gardasil®, and other new products becomes available these guidelines will be updated. Research is now being done on the use of Gardasil® in older females and in males.

It is important to realize that the vaccine doesn’t protect against all cancer-causing types of HPV, so routine Pap tests, as discussed in the next section, are still necessary. One other benefit of the vaccine is that it protects against the 2 viruses that cause 90% of genital warts.

luv4u.. we need this Stickified

REDFEATHERS said:

REDFEATHERS said:

I agree but, couldn't you use another word?

thnx rhonda

REDFEATHERS said:

Sure do!!!

Thankfully, one of the great successes in the battle against cancer. Death from the disease has plummeted in recent years thanks to comprehensive screening programmes and now with the advent of HPV vaccinations this form of cancer will hopefully soon be a thing of the past.

Remember to get your smear done and, if you are eligible, get vaccinated.

Please sticky this

Ladies, you also need to be made aware that HPV is not the only thing that causes cervical cancer: it can also be genetic or be caused by other factors. Also, it is said that cervical cancer is a slow going disease that takes up to ten years to go from simple abnormal cells to cancer but this is also sometimes NOT the case. Know your bodies, ladies. Pay attention if you are not feeling well. Many symptoms of advanced cervical cancer are the same as many regular everyday things. Insist on both Pap smears and HPV tests at the same time because most doctors do not voluntarily do both.

Ladies, also please insist that an ultrasound be part of your regular pelvic exam. Many other gynelogical cancers are silent until too late.

Stymie said:

i did not know this.

heybaby said:

There are two different pap smears. One is for STDs only.

Good thread. This reminds me that Mon (and me too, I suppose) have to go get some things checked out if we're to try for a baby this year. I'm so lax with this stuff and it's just stupid. It's all way too important to let slide owing to being lazy.

PREDOMINANT said:

I agree. Maybe they can find a common link between cervical cancer and all cancers??

Every girl I know has gotten those HPV vaccinations. I'm still amazed that it prevents cancer. Amazing stuff, medical science.

Avoid the merck hpv shot!

Very important, ladies. The word "cancer" throws everyone for a loop, but this cancer can be dealt with. I speak from experience. Please, stay up on your pap tests! Yes, they are uncomfortable, but worth it in the long run.



Smooches;)

This thread reminds me, I should have called my doctor about two weeks ago for the results of my test

Cloudbuster said:

Whose knickers are you trying to get into by giving this 5 stars? :th:

Volitan said:

There is a link with other cancers but it seems associated with cervical more than most.

Please be aware that this is by no way a complete preventative measure for cervical cancer though. The vaccine simply reduces the chance of getting the cancer by eliminating one POSSIBLE cause. There are other causes aside from HPV.

My sister had cancer of the cervix and they caught it in time thank goodness for the smear test. She went on to have 3 more children.

Also, somewhat related I read that if you have oral sex with a girl with HPV, you're liable to get mouth cancer.

It's time for my pap actually, I need an overall checkup too. Thanks for the reminder

Volitan said:

Where did you read that?

That's dangerous to throw out with no research to back up. From everything I've read on the subject, I believe if there were any corollation it would be slight at best... Are there new studies that have been done?

Unfortunately, it is true Carrie.


HPV causing more oral cancer in men
By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer
Fri Feb 1, 7:02 PM ET


ATLANTA - The sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer in women is poised to become one of the leading causes of oral cancer in men, according to a new study.

The HPV virus now causes as many cancers of the upper throat as tobacco and alcohol, probably due both to an increase in oral sex and the decline in smoking, researchers say.

The only available vaccine against HPV, made by Merck & Co. Inc., is currently given only to girls and young women. But Merck plans this year to ask government permission to offer the shot to boys.

Experts say a primary reason for male vaccinations would be to prevent men from spreading the virus and help reduce the nearly 12,000 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in U.S. women each year. But the new study should add to the argument that there may be a direct benefit for men, too.

"We need to start having a discussion about those cancers other than cervical cancer that may be affected in a positive way by the vaccine," said study co-author Dr. Maura Gillison of Johns Hopkins University.

The study was published Friday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the leading cause of cervical cancer in women. It also can cause genital warts, penile and anal cancer — risks for males that generally don't get the same attention as cervical cancer.

Previous research by Gillison and others established HPV as a primary cause of the estimated 5,600 cancers that occur each year in the tonsils, lower tongue and upper throat. It's also been known that the virus' role in such cancers has been rising.

The new study looked at more than 30 years of National Cancer Institute data on oral cancers. Researchers categorized about 46,000 cases, using a formula to divide them into those caused by HPV and those not connected to the virus.

They concluded the incidence rates for HPV-related oral cancers rose steadily in men from 1973 to 2004, becoming about as common as those from tobacco and alcohol.

The good news is that survival rates for the cancer are also increasing. That's because tumors caused by HPV respond better to chemotherapy and radiation, Gillison said.

"If current trends continue, within the next 10 years there may be more oral cancers in the United States caused by HPV than tobacco or alcohol," Gillison said.

Studies suggest oral sex is associated with HPV-related oral cancers, but a cause-effect relationship has not been proved. Other researchers have suggested that even unwashed hands can spread it to the mouth as well.

Gillison pointed toward sex as an explanation for the increase in male upper throat cancers. However, HPV-related upper throat cancers declined significantly in women from 1973 to 2004.

Merck's vaccine, approved for girls in 2006, is a three-dose series priced at about $360. It is designed to protect against four types of HPV, including one associated with oral cancer.

Merck has been testing the vaccine in an international study, but it is focused on anal and penile cancer and genital warts, not oral cancers, said Kelley Dougherty, a Merck spokeswoman.

"We are continuing to consider additional areas of study that focus on both female and male HPV diseases and cancers," Dougherty said.

Merck officials praised Gillison's research, saying it will elevate the importance of HPV-related oral cancers.

Government officials and the American Cancer Society say they don't know yet whether Merck's vaccine will be successful at preventing disease in men. No data from the company's study are available yet.

Indeed, it's not clear yet that the vaccine even prevents the HPV infection in males, let alone cancer or any other illness, said Debbie Saslow of the American Cancer Society.

Merck plans to seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for the vaccine in men later this year, meaning a government decision would be likely in 2009.

___

On the Net:

Journal of Clinical Oncology: http://jco.ascopubs.org

had it

got treated

better now

good read

Stymie said:

Interesting... I wonder how many cases of oral cancer there are overall...

Oops!
I've not seen my gyn since 2005.
Calling for appointment.

Here's a link to the oral cancer article

http://blogs.usatoday.com...g-ora.html

Thank you for sharing this information....

thanks for the info.