Importance of Pap Smear Test cervical cancer screening emphasized by Missouri doctor

Osage Beach, MO

During Cervical Cancer Screening Month and Cervical Health Awareness Month in January, physicians with Lake Regional Health System in Osage Beach, Mo., are encouraging women and parents of young girls to learn more about early detection and prevention.

“It’s important that women know about this disease,” said Gynecologist Becky Simpson, M.D., with Lake Area Women’s Center in Osage Beach. “It can be treated if detected early, and most cases now can be prevented.”

According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 12,000 U.S. women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, and about 4,000 die from it. However, more lives are being saved thanks to increased use of the Pap test — the screening procedure used to find changes in the cervix before cancer develops — and a recently approved vaccination.

Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by the Human Papillomavirus — the most common sexually transmitted disease. If an HPV infection isn’t treated or doesn’t clear on its own, it eventually can result in cervical cancer.

“The fastest, easiest way to detect HPV is through an annual Pap test,” Dr. Simpson said. “During this test, we take a sample of cells from the cervix, which is the bottom part of the womb. The cells then are examined for abnormalities or infections, which can be early signs of cancer.”

If an HPV infection is detected and the abnormal cells are treated early, most cases of cervical cancer can be prevented. For this reason, doctors recommend annual Pap tests and pelvic exams for women ages 18 and older, or those who have become sexually active.

Doctors also encourage women ages nine to 26 to get vaccinated against HPV. The vaccine, Gardasil, is a series of three vaccines. They help protect against four types of HPV, two of which cause 70 percent of cervical cancer cases.

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