Description

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month! This episode is all about screening and prevention of cervical cancer; and The Docs take an in-depth look into how access to health education and medical care (or lack thereof) can affect specific regions and populations. Cervical cancer is caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). As Dr. Tiffany referenced from the article, "Nobody should die of cervical cancer" as it is one of the most preventable and curable cancers. 

Cervical cancer prevention occurs in multiple stages:

1. Sexual Education: Health education is the first step to making sure a populace is able to make well-informed decisions for their health and well-being.
2. Vaccination: Teenagers ages 11 up to age 26 can receive the HPV vaccine which immunizes against many, but not all, high-risk strains of HPV, which can cause cervical cancer as well as throat and anal cancers, and genital warts.
3. Screening: All women should begin cervical cancer screening via pap test (Papanicolaou Test) at age 21, repeated every 3 years. Routine screening can detect cervical cell changes in time to for early intervention.
4. Timely Follow-Up: Together, routine screening and timely follow-up are an effective method for preventing cervical cancer. If an abnormal pap or HPV test comes back, a provider may recommend a colposcopy to get a closer look at the cervix. They may also be able to remove the potentially dangerous cells before they can turn into cancer.
5. Early Treatment: Cervical cancer progresses slowly: it generally takes about 10 to 15 years for HPV to develop into cervical cancer. The slow progression is a large reason why cervical cancer is relatively easy to prevent and, when detected early, to treat and potentially cure.

Black women die of cervical cancer at a higher rate than any other race or ethnicity. One of the contributing factors is lack of access to gynecologists in their surrounding area and lack of knowledge of what to symptoms to look out for. These social determinants of health have a negative impact on outcomes for Black patients with cervical cancer. Additionally, while there are programs that provide aid for cancer screening, that aid often falls short of providing additional resources for diagnostics and treatments. 

For more on HPV vaccination, check out our Episode 3: Iatrophobia and Vaccines

If you'd like to read the article Dr. Tiffany was referencing: It Should Not Happen: Alabama’s Failure to Prevent Cervical Cancer Death in the Black Belt

For more information on whether you or your loved ones are eligible for free or low-cost breast and cervical cancer screenings and follow-up via the Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP), visit https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/ or https://bcccp.ncdhhs.gov (for NC residents). 

Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (SIL) is the abnormal growth of squamous (cancerous) cells on the surface of the cervix.

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Dr. Karen Winkfield

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Dr. Zanetta Lamar

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