Don’t Let Pandemic Stop You From Cervical Cancer Screenings

Today, a year into this pandemic, many women are either still sheltering in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic or nervous about seeing doctors unless absol...

Today, a year into this pandemic, many women are either still sheltering in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic or nervous about seeing doctors unless absolutely necessary. What I want to say is this: Regular screening can ultimately help prevent cervical cancer, so it’s crucial that women look at their annual gynecological appointment as absolutely necessary and do not delay their screening.In my practice in South Florida, where many of my patients are women of color and often from underserved communities, I’ve found the most important thing they need to know about cervical cancer is often the one piece of information least acknowledged: Cervical cancer is among the most preventable of cancers and, when diagnosed early enough, among the most treatable.Prevention of cancer comes across as a surprise to many, and when I explain why cervical cancer can effectively be stopped today, I discuss the importance of regular screening and keeping regular well-woman and gynecologic appointments.More than 50% of all new cervical cancers are in women who have never been screened or have not been screened in the previous five years of their lives. With regular screening using the Pap test and HPV test, we’re able to spot abnormalities like potentially harmful lesions and abnormal precancerous cells early, and we have powerful tools to treat and stop cervical cancer, even before it starts. In fact, it’s been published that as much as 93% of all cervical cancers could be prevented by screening and HPV vaccination.With these statistics in mind and the powerful tools we have by way of screening and early treatment, I can’t help but feel the incidence of cervical cancer is still too common, claiming more than 4,000 lives each year. For Hispanic and Black women, cervical cancer incidence remains much higher than the rest of the population, and screening rates are too low. Incidence in Hispanic women is 22% higher than for white women, and 14% higher for Black women than white women. Further, Black women in the U.S. are more likely than any other racial or ethnic group to die from cervical cancer and are two times more likely to die from cervical cancer than white women.While much of my job as a physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology is to diagnose and treat disease, part of my responsibility is to ensure my patients understand how their bodies work and how they can best take care to prevent disease such as cervical cancer. The most important thing women can do is visit their gynecologists for an annual well-woman exam, which will also include a pelvic exam to check overall female anatomy, and a breast health exam — from there, physician and patient have the conversation around cervical cancer risk and decide together what screening frequency looks like. The Pap test and HPV test are essential in giving women the best chance to prevent, diagnose, treat and, ultimately, survive cervical cancer.(Patricia Paule Jeudin is a gynecologist with the University of Miami Health System)