Iowa has high percentage of cervical cancer
Council Bluffs, IA
Cervical cancer is nearly 100 percent curable, if detected through screening and treated early.
Cervical cancer rates are higher in Iowa among older women; however, cervical cancer intraepithelial neoplasia - the precursor lesion to cervical cancer - most often occurs in younger women.
Women with less than a high school education report screening rates 30 percent lower than those with a college degree.
"The reason cervical cancers are high, I think, is that as women get older they don't get screened," Haessler said. "Over 65 absolutely need cervical exams ... You have to have a pelvic exam, even if you've had a hysterectomy. If you have a uterus, you have to get pap smears annually."
A cervical cancer vaccine is available, Devery said. Girls are advised to get the HPV vaccine at age 11-12 - before they become sexually active.
"There's also a catch-up for girls 13-26 who haven't been vaccinated or haven't completed the full series (of three shots over a six-month period). The (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends universal vaccination for women 18-26."
For more information, visit the consortium's Web site at www.canceriowa.org or the American Cancer Society's at www.cancer.org.
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