Cervical Cancer: Early Detection and Prevention Make a Difference
Courtney Carter
/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2024

Cervical Cancer: Early Detection and Prevention Make a Difference

Even though cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women aged 20 to 39 years, the news around the disease for anyone born with a cervix is mostly good.

Case and point: the death rate for cervical cancer declined by more than 50% since the mid-1970s, thanks in large part to screenings. In addition, the rate of diagnosis for women younger than 25 has dropped by over 65% since the introduction of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.

Cervical Cancer Numbers for 2024

According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 13,820 new cases of invasive cervical cancer were diagnosed in 2024. That same year, over 4,300 women died from the disease.

Screenings

As with all cancers, regular screenings and early detection make a huge difference in viable treatment options and likely outcomes.

In the case of cervical cancer, ANYONE BORN WITH A CERVIX SHOULD BE SCREENED.

Screenings for cervical cancer typically include a Pap test and a test for HPV. In both cases, cells are taken from the cervix and sent to a lab for testing. The HPV test is a recent but important addition to screenings as it detects two strains of the virus known to cause 70% of cervical cancers. If your screening reveals you have a high-risk type of HPV, your doctor can develop a plan for follow-up monitoring, further testing, or even treatment of abnormal cells.

 

Are you due for Pap test?

Not sure if or when you should get a Pap test? Click here to see the latest guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

 

Prevention

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HPV vaccines have the potential to prevent more than 90% of HPV-related cancers, including cervical precancers in young women. 

As a member of the Vermonters Taking Action Against Cancer HPV Task Force, SVMC encourages individuals of all genders to receive the HPV9 (nine-valent HPV) vaccine beginning at age 9. Your child’s age at the first dose will determine whether they need two or three doses. 

Know your risks

Even though the incidence of cervical cancer is on the decline, the risk is nowhere near zero.

In fact, in addition to HPV exposure, other factors can increase the risk of anyone with a cervix developing the disease. These include:

Smoking: Doubles the risk of developing cervical cancer.  

Being immunocompromised: Conditions like HIV/AIDS and even taking drugs to suppress immune response, can make it harder to fight off HPV infections.

Long-term Use of Birth Control Pills: Using oral contraceptives for 5 or more years increases the risk of cervical cancer.

Family History: If a parent or sibling had cervical cancer, your chances of developing the disease are higher than if no one in the family had it.

While not all risk factors, like family history, can be changed, it’s important to focus on changing those you can. And if you have a factor that can’t be changed, consider that all the more reason to stay current with screenings.

 

Rebecca Hewson-Steller, RN, CN-BN is an oncology nurse at the Dartmouth Health Cancer Center at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

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COVID-19 Scams

Scams are almost as old as time. They always take advantage of our vulnerabilities and fears. So in times of mass panic, like has been caused by COVID-19, opportunities for scammers increase, said Southwestern Vermont Health Care's Information Technology Security Engineer Geoffrey Mazanec.

IT experts noted a 667 percent increase in malicious phishing e-mails as of the end of last month. Security firm Barracuda Networks identified 137 coronavirus-related phishing emails in January, 1,188 in February, and more than 9,000 in March. 

There are most likely several reasons for the increase.

  • First, many scams exploit our fears. As fear increases, so to opportunities for scammers. Many scams have been tweaked to include a reference to COVID-19, which may cause people to react more quickly and without thinking.
  • Scammers also exploit our desires to be good people—to pay our bills on time and follow directions—which could also be heightened during a crisis.
  • During COVID-19, everyone is conducting more business remotely. In the effort to keep all of our online activities straight, we may lose track of who is on the other end of the phone line or e-mail.
  • Mazanec notes that, with so many people out of work, scammers may have taken what had been a part-time swindling gig full time.

These startling statistics and our increased vulnerability make it a great time for a refresher about how scammers attack and how to avoid getting caught in a scheme.

Phishing. The most common way scammers operate is by phishing. They call or e-mail, usually posing to be a company or organization that you trust: the IRS, Medicare or Medicaid, or a company that you have done business with before. And they are crafty. They can even make it look as if they are calling from a business you recognize. They are counting on your thinking that they are the real thing.

"Lots of people, looking for protective equipment, for instance, are purchasing from companies that they have not dealt with in the past," Mazanec said. "Scammers want you to believe that you have purchased from them, when you have not."

They might send you an "invoice due" message with a .pdf attachment, or they might provide a link for you to click and log in. They want you to do one of two things: (1) Give up your personal information, either over the phone or by logging in to a fake sign-in page or (2) click on a .pdf or website that will infect your system.

So what can you do? Mazanec recommends not clicking. "If you don’t recognize it, don't open it. Instead, always question whether it is legitimate. And, no matter who it is, don't give anyone usernames or passwords."

Disconnect the call or delete the e-mail and call the company directly. If you don't have their number on hand, you can find it using a Google search. If you ask them whether they just called or e-mailed you, you will likely find that they have not. Congratulations. You’ve just avoided a scam.

Too good to be true. Some scammers are also selling fake products. For instance, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued warnings to seven companies selling fraudulent products that claim to test for, prevent, or treat COVID-19. Some even claimed to be approved by the FDA! Other companies are taking personal information in exchange for being added to a fake list for early access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

There is no valid at-home test for COVID-19 and no viable at-home treatments, unless you count rest and plenty of fluids for mild cases. Consult with your local healthcare provider before taking any testing or treatment action, as some can be harmful or even deadly.

To avoid scams like this one, read, watch, and listen to reputable news sources. If there is a legitimate at-home test, treatment, or vaccine, you will hear reports about it from your state's department of health and other official organizations.

More information about scams related to COVID-19 can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/media/phishing.html and https://www.ftc.gov/coronavirus/scams-consumer-advice.

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