Cervical cancer ranks as one of the most common forms of cancer in women. In 2009, an estimated 11,000 new cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed in the United States, and more than 4,000 American women will die from cervical cancer. Nurses perform a number of steps during regular office visits that can help prevent or detect cervical cancer.
Pap Smears
Before 1955, cervical cancer was one of the most common causes of death among American women. But between 1955 and 1992, the death rate from cervical cancer fell by almost three-quarters. This drop is largely attributed to the early detection of cervical cancer through the Pap test.
During a Pap test, a nurse swabs cells in the cervix. The test identifies a number of infections, as well as unhealthy cervical cells in the early stages of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is very treatable when detected early. As a result, gynecologists suggest that all women over the age of 21, and women under 21 years old who have been sexually active for three years or more, get regular Pap screenings. Women under 30 should get Pap tests every year. Older women may space them out to every two or three years.
The nurse at your obstetrician or gynecologist's office may perform the Pap swab during a gynecological exam.
HPV Vaccine
The human papillomavirus, or HPV, causes almost all cases of cervical cancer. A sexually transmitted disease, HPV is very common. Some strains of the papillomavirus cause genital warts, but most of cause no symptoms. As a result, many men and women don't know that they have the virus, and spread it unwittingly to their sexual partners.
An HPV vaccine has been approved by the FDA for women ages 12-26, and versions of the vaccine for older women and men are in the works as well. While some oppose the vaccine on the grounds that it will promote sexual activity in young women, and others have safety concerns about the vaccine, the majority of ob/gyn clinics and pediatricians recommend the vaccine to their patients. Nurses commonly administer the three-dose series of the vaccine.
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