Get Healthy, Carson City: Resilience and taking our health seriously in 2021

We made it through 2020. There are a lot of things we Northern Nevadans can say about making it though such a tumultuous year, but the word I think we can all agree on is resilience. We’re a tough bunch and being on the national stage for a short while shows how our values and beliefs can make all the difference in each of our lives. But where else do we stand on the national front? Let me share some information that you might have missed during the last 12 months.

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, a great time to talk about how human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines can help prevent cancer. Cervical cancer was once the leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States. According to the CDC. Nevada is eighth in the nation for rate of cervical cancer in the US. Resilient, yes. Could we do better in taking steps to prevent this disease? Absolutely.

A Little Backstory

Did you know cervical cancer is nearly always caused by infection with HPV? Thanks to screenings and vaccinations, cervical cancer is now the most preventable of all female cancers. About 79 million people, most in their late teens and early 20s, are currently infected with HPV, and an additional 14 million are estimated to be infected each year. A compelling reason to protect preteens and teens early through vaccination.

One of key topics we focus on here at Nevada Cancer Coalition is cancer screening. Let’s take a quick look at what we’re trying to advocate. Screening is looking for cancer before a person has any symptoms, to help find cancer at an early stage. Cancer is much easier to treat when found early, because by the time symptoms appear, cancer may have already begun to spread. Discouragingly, cervical cancer screening rates for women who have received a Pap test in the last three years have been going down. We simply need to do better.

Screening and Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is a disease in which cancer cells form in the cervix.

Screening using the Pap test has decreased the number of new cases and the number of deaths since 1950.

Cervical dysplasia (a precancerous condition) occurs more often in women who are in their 20s and 30s.

Death is rare in women of any age who have regular screenings with the Pap test.

The chance of death from cervical cancer increases with age.

In recent years, deaths from cervical cancer have been slightly higher in Black and white women younger than 50 years of age. Deaths are almost twice as likely in Black women older than 60 years than in white women. And Latinas have the highest rates of cervical cancer of all groups of women in the U.S.

The CDC recommends all girls AND boys get the HPV vaccine at age 11 or 12 because the vaccine produces a stronger immune response when taken during the preteen years. And only two doses are required.

What Can You Do About It?

Most doctors recommend women should have their first Pap test at age 21. Depending on personal history and risk factors, doctors usually recommend that women continue to have Pap tests until they are at least 65. Talk to your doctor about what is right for you and when to have a Pap test.

Nevada's Women's Health Connection program provides cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services to low-income women who are uninsured or under-insured. Call 844-469-4934 for information.

Here is the bottom line: screening for cervical cancer helps decrease the number of deaths from the disease, not to mention the terrible pain and emotional heartache that follows a cancer diagnosis. It’s the beginning of a new year. Why not kick it off with a commitment to yours and your family’s health?

If you would like to learn more about cervical cancer, HPV, and other important cancer screening conversations, drop by our website: www.NevadaCancerCoalition.org. We have excellent decision guides, hundreds of resources, and tools for taking that first step toward talking with your health care provider.