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Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program

Cervical Health Information

Women

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers found in women in the United States.

In Tennessee, there are about 330 cases of cervical cancer yearly, and approximately one-third of those cases result in death.  It is the only cancer that is completely preventable.  All women should receive a Pap test on an annual or regular basis as recommended by their healthcare provider to detect this cancer early.  Girls between the ages of 11 and 24 should receive the human papilloma virus, or HPV, vaccine before they become sexually active to protect them against this cancer.

Sharon from the Chattanooga area  was diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer at age 37.  She made sure that her daughters received the HPV Vaccine.  She asks that parents who have daughters get the HPV vaccine for them so they won’t have to go through what she has experienced. Sharon is now deceased from this disease.

The American Cancer Society reports that between 60 and 80 percent of American women with newly diagnosed invasive cervical cancer had not had a Pap test in the past five years, and may never have had one.  Unscreened groups include women over the age of 50, uninsured or underinsured women, minorities and low-income women, especially those in rural areas.

While cancer affects people of all racial and ethnic groups, it does not affect all groups equally.  Public health officials are particularly concerned about urging African-American women to have regular Pap tests because they have significantly higher incidence and mortality rates of cervical cancer than do white, non-Hispanic women.

Sherrae, a student at Tennessee State University, had a close friend at college diagnosed with the beginning stages of cervical cancer.  The doctors caught it in time.  She was treated and is healthy now.  Young women need to be educated about the importance of annual Pap tests.

Risk Factors


  • A personal and /or family history of cervical cancer
  • Cigarette smoking
  • A high-risk positive HPV test that continues beyond age 30

It is estimated that more than 80 percent of women will become infected with HPV at some time in their lives.  Most pre-cancerous conditions of the cervix can be prevented by avoiding high-risk sexual behaviors, including sexual intercourse at an early age, having many sexual partners, unprotected sex and sexual partners who have had numerous other partners.  Any of these high-risk behaviors increase a woman’s risk of HPV infection.  The risk of developing cervical cancer increases with age.  The average age of women newly diagnosed with cervical cancer is between 50 and 55.  Since cervical cancer typically grows at a very slow rate, it can take up to 20 years for pre-cancerous lesions to develop into invasive cancer.  A Pap test can help diagnose this slow growth of cervical cancer and it can be quickly treated to prevent invasive cancer.

Navita, who lives in Nashville, was diagnosed with cervical cancer at an early stage due to a Pap test; after biopsy and treatment, she is now a 10-year survivor.

Early Detection

Pre-cancerous changes of the cervix usually do not cause pain. In fact, they generally do not cause any symptoms and are not detected unless a woman has a Pap test. The Pap test, which detects early pre-cancerous cells, has lowered cases of cervical cancer in the United States by 75 percent.

This cancer can be effectively treated without re-occurrence if found in its early stages. The likelihood of survival from cervical cancer is almost 100 percent with appropriate treatment and follow-up care.

Screening Guidelines for Pap Tests (in this program)

Women age 40 to 64 should have annual Pap tests.

Cervical Diagnostic Services

Women ages 18 to 64 may be referred to the program if they have an abnormal Pap test that requires additional tests.

What You Can Do to Reduce Your Risk of Cervical Cancer


  • Practice safe sexual behavior.
  • Include fruits and vegetables in your diet. They have nutrients that fight cancer.
  • Refrain from smoking.
  • Watch for and report unusual spotting or bleeding, abnormal discharge and/or pain during sex. Symptoms usually do not appear until abnormal cervical cells become cancerous and invade nearby tissue. When this happens, the most common symptom is abnormal bleeding. Bleeding after menopause and increased vaginal discharge may both be symptoms of cervical cancer.
  • Have Pap tests throughout your life. Some women believe they do not need a gynecological exam and Pap test if they have stopped having children, or have a strictly monogamous or same sex relationship. Continue having Pap tests until your healthcare provider says they are not needed. If you had a hysterectomy and your cervix was removed due to non-cancerous reasons, you do not need Pap tests. You do need to have an exam every year for good preventive health and to detect other kinds of cancers (uterus, ovarian, vaginal). If your hysterectomy was done due to cervical neoplasia, you should have annual vaginal Pap tests for 10 years with documentation that they were normal. If the hysterectomy was due to invasive cervical cancer, a vaginal Pap test should be done every year as long as you are in good health.

References:

  1. Tennessee Cancer Registry, 2002
  2. American Cancer Society
  3. National Cancer Institutes