Dear Editor:
Please help Planned Parenthood of Greater Northern New Jersey (PPGNNJ) focus on cervical cancer awareness during the month of January. Women need to know that a routine PAP smear, given during an annual gyn exam, is very effective at detecting the abnormal cells that may lead to cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer is the third most common type of cancer in women. Approximately 2 to 3 percent of all women over age 40 will develop some form of cervical cancer. The average age at diagnosis is 45 years.
Unfortunately, the cause of cervical cancer is unknown. It is a particularly ominous cancer since there are no symptoms in the early stages; frequently, symptoms don’t appear until after the disease has begun to damage the cervix.
Some risk factors for cervical cancer have been identified. They include:
Early onset of sexual activity (younger than 18 years)
Multiple sex partners
Early childbearing (younger than 16 years)
Sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s) including HPV, HIV or genital herpes
Your mother’s exposure to the drug DES (diethylstilbestrol) while she was pregnant with you.
The American Cancer Society estimates an expected 12,800 new cases of invasive cervical cancer; approximately 4,600 women will die from this disease.
The absence of symptoms in the early stages of cervical cancer allows an unsuspecting woman to postpone or avoid her annual gyn exam. In fact, this exam is a key preventive element in women’s reproductive health care — the exam screens for a number of diseases, include breast and cervical cancer. Treatment in the early stages of many cancers saves lives.
Please call your local Planned Parenthood today to schedule your annual exam. For the center closest to you, please call 1-800-230-PLAN.
Planned Parenthood of Greater Northern New Jersey, Inc.