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DOH Recognizes January as Cervical Cancer Month
TALLAHASSEE: The Florida Department of Health (DOH) recognizes January as
Cervical Cancer Month. Screening for cervical cancer is crucial because,
with early detection, it is nearly 100 percent curable.
Worldwide, cervical cancer is often the most common type of cancer among
women, Womens Health Officer Nancy Humbert, A.R.N.P, M.S.N., said. We
are committed to supporting cervical cancer screening to reduce the effect
of this disease for all. We encourage women to be proactive in its detection.
Each year, approximately 15,000 women in the United States learn they have
cancer of the cervix. The American Cancer Society reports that between 60
and 80 percent of American women with newly diagnosed invasive cervical
cancer have not had a Pap test in the past five years and may have never
had one. The unscreened population groups include older women, the uninsured,
ethnic minorities (especially Hispanic women, African Americans and Asian
Americans), and poor women, particularly those in rural areas.
Since the early 1970s, however, incidence of and mortality from cervical
cancer have declined nearly 40 percent, due in large part to early detection
through increased use of the Pap test. A simple, painless procedure that
detects abnormal cell growth in and around the cervix, the Pap test can be
performed in a doctors office or health clinic. Often, such cell changes
can be treated before they become cancerous.
Women 21 years of age or older, and those under 21 who are sexually active,
should ask that pelvic examinations and Pap tests be included in their physical
examinations at least once every three years. Every woman should discuss with
her doctor what testing schedule is right for her.
The Department of Healths Florida Breast and Cervical Cancer Program was
created in 1994 through a federal grant from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. For details about this program, call 800-451-2229 or log on to
www.doh.state.fl.us
and select Breast and Cervical Cancer Program
on the pull down menu.
Information may also be obtained by visiting the National Cancer Institute at
www.cancer.gov ,
the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention at
www.cdc.gov ,
the American Cancer Society at
www.cancer.org ,
or the National Cervical Cancer Coalition at
www.nccc-online.org .
Once A Year...For Peace of Mind
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