Vim & Vigor - Spring 2020 - Northside Hospital - 18

Beyond HPV:
Other Ways
to Prevent
Cervical
Cancer

In the early 1900s, cervical
cancer killed more American
women than any other
cancer. But once the Pap
test became widespread
in the 1950s, cervical
cancer rates dropped-and
continued dropping.
"One of the best ways to
protect the health of your
cervix, and prevent cancer, is
to get regular Pap smears,"
says Kathryn Parris, MD,
an OB/GYN at Northside's
Gwinnett Physicians Group
OB/GYN. "Your routine Pap
test looks for any changes in
the cells of the cervix that may
be caused by an infection, and
it identifies abnormal cells
that are cancerous or may
progress into cancer."
If you aren't sold on
getting a routine Pap, keep
in mind that symptoms
of cervical cancer can be
subtle, even nonexistent.
"In the early stages of the
disease, we'll see symptoms
such as irregular vaginal
bleeding, pain in the pelvis,
pain during sex or abnormal
discharge," Dr. Parris says.
"But these symptoms can be
easy to overlook."
Besides not getting the HPV
vaccine or routine Pap tests,
other risk factors include:
Smoking
Eating a diet low in
fruits and vegetables
Being overweight
Using oral contraceptives
long term
Having three or more
full-term pregnancies

SPRING 2020 VIM & VIGOR

HPV is widespread-if you have had sex,
you have likely been exposed to it. About 79
million people in the U.S. have HPV-and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
estimates 14 million are newly infected each
year. In most cases, the body's immune system attacks the virus and kills it, and a person
never knows it was there. But sometimes, it
causes serious problems, laying the groundwork for future cancers.

HPV-Positive Throat
Cancers Increasing

Each year, about 34,800 cases of cancer are
found that are probably caused by HPV,
according to the CDC. A little less than a third
of those are cancers of the cervix. More than
a third are cancers of the oropharynx, the back
part of the mouth that includes the back third
of the tongue, the tonsils, the soft palate and
the side and back walls of the throat.
The rate of oral and throat cancers that
are not caused by HPV has been dropping,
while oropharyngeal cancers caused by HPV
are increasing. From 1988 to 2004, one study
found, the rates of oropharyngeal cancer
where signs of HPV were present increased
by more than 200 percent.
And oral cancers that show signs of HPV
disproportionately affect men.
"In a 15-year period, the number of men
diagnosed with oral cancer in the United
States has doubled, and we think it is because
of HPV," says Anna Giuliano, a research professor for the American Cancer Society. "So,
we do of course still care about preventing
cervical cancer-absolutely, that is a major
global problem. But in the United States, what
is emerging is this significant rise in the incidence of oral cancers associated with HPV.
This is not just a female disease."
And even though researchers say the
most effective way to prevent HPV-and
HPV-associated cancers-is through the HPV
vaccine, many people still don't get vaccinated
or choose to vaccinate their children. As of
2017, the most recent data available, about
half of adolescents in the U.S. were up to date
on HPV vaccines.

Keep
Women's
Health
Routine

Finding the right provider
for your Pap test is
important, and ensuring
lasting reproductive health
is essential. To find your
partner in lasting women's
health, visit gwinnett
medicalgroup.com/obgyn.

https://www.gwinnettmedicalgroup.com/obgyn https://www.gwinnettmedicalgroup.com/obgyn

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2020 - Northside Hospital

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Spring 2020 - Northside Hospital