Should You Get a Pap Smear? --- NEW from Touro

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Should You Get a Pap Smear? by touroinfirmary Jamie Sias, M.D. Pap smear is used to screen your risk of getting cervical cancer. During your exam, your physician will collect and examine cells from your cervix. It’s important to talk with your physician about when and how often you should have a pap smear because your age and risk factors can change your exam timeline. It is recommended to start pap smears at age 21. Why is it important? A Pap smear is an important part of your routine healthcare. It can help find abnormal cells that can lead to cancer. Regular exams can help your doctor find most cancers of the cervix early. Cancer of the cervix is more likely to be successfully treated if it is found early. Pap smears can also find cervical and vaginal problems such as precancerous cells, inflammation and human papilloma virus (HPV). Your pap smear can diagnose the following conditions: Inflammation Infection Abnormal cells Precancerous cells Cancer What happens during a pap smear? Pap smears are usually painless and quick. Your physician will also perform a pelvic exam during your visit as well. An instrument called a speculum will be inserted into your vagina. This will spread the walls of the vagina apart to show the cervix. A small brush, swab or spatula will be used to gently remove cells from the cervix and back of the vagina. The cells will be placed in a vial of liquid or smeared on a glass microscope slide. If you need an HPV test, your doctor will take a sample of cells for this test as well. What happens if the pap smear is abnormal? An abnormal pap smear does not mean you have cervical cancer. This means abnormal cells have been identified on your cervix. It can be a result of an infection or inflammation, herpes, recent sexual activity, HPV and dysplasia. Your physician may repeat the test in four to six months, depending on the type of abnormal cells found. HPV is the main risk factor for cervical cancer, which is a sexually transmitted infection. However, most women who receive treatment for HPV do not develop cervical cancer. What kind of additional testing will I need if my cells are abnormal? Your healthcare provider may order these tests: Your cervix and vagina are looked at with a microscope called a colposcope, which magnifies any abnormal areas. Endocervical curettage. Cells are taken from the opening of your cervix with a spoon-shaped tool and looked at under a microscope. This may be done during the colposcopy. A small tissue sample is taken from your cervix and looked at under a microscope. This may be done during the colposcopy. You may be nervous at your first gynecological appointment but it gets easier. It is important to ask any questions or address in concerns with your physician. Your physician is there to support you and your vaginal health. To schedule an appointment, go to touro.com/findadoc. Dr. Jamie Sias is an OB/GYN with Crescent City Physicians, Inc., a subsidiary of Touro Infirmary. She received her undergraduate degree from Xavier University of Louisiana and earned her medical degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine. Dr. Sias cares for patients at two convenient locations, Mid-City and St. Claude. touroinfirmary | January 30, 2018 at 8:02 pm | Categories: Gynecologic Oncology | URL: https://wp.me/p3U9Kg-s2 Comment    See all comments    Like

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What Would You Do If Cancer Was Preventable?

What are your thoughts when you hear the word “cancer?” Fear? Or what about death? What if there was a way for you to prevent cancer? Well, for cervical cancer, there is!

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2014, over 12,500 women in the United States were diagnosed with cervical cancer, and ultimately 4,115 of these cases were fatal. I bet you are wondering why the numbers are so high if it is preventable, right? Unfortunately, the truth is that many women are uneducated when it comes to the importance of their cervical health.

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month to help raise awareness about the importance of cervical health and how cervical cancer can be prevented.

Cervical cancer is primarily caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) which is most often spread by direct skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity. It is a very common virus with more than 150 variant types, and fifteen of these types have been found to cause cancer. Most people, both male and female, will contract HPV at some point in their lifetime. The CDC estimates that about 79 million people in the U.S. are currently infected with HPV. However, in most cases, the virus will go away on its own, never becoming cancerous.

Read More:

Erin Andrews Is Happy She Froze Her Eggs Before Cervical Cancer: ‘We Don’t Know If This Is Going to Come Back’

BY JULIE MAZZIOTTA•@JULIETMAZZ

When Erin Andrews made the decision to freeze her embryos a few years back, it was “just because it was all the rage.” But the choice proved to be fortuitous when she wasdiagnosed with cervical cancer in Sept. 2016.

“It definitely took a serious turn for us,” Andrews, 39, tells Health for its July/August cover story of her chances of conceiving with fiancé Jarret Stoll. “I’m not young, we don’t know when we’re going to have a baby, we don’t know if this is going to come back.”

Andrews, a sideline reporter for NFL on Fox, learned of her cervical cancer shortly aftersettling her $55 million lawsuit against the Nashville Marriott, where a stranger secretly filmed her nude through her door.

Between that and the start of the new football season, Andrews kept her diagnosis a secret from the public — and her coworkers.

Read the full article

New HPV vaccine could prevent most infections and millions of cancers

Cervical cancer affects more than half a million women and causes more than a quarter of a million deaths each year globally. Almost all cervical cancers result from a human papillomavirus, or HPV, infection. HPV infections cause cancers in other parts of the body, too. But the latest HPV vaccine could prevent most infections -; and millions of cancers -; worldwide, according to an article by Cosette Wheeler, PhD, and her collaborators.

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Continue Screening for Cervical Cancer After Age 65, Study Advises

Cervical cancer usually is regarded as a disease that affects mostly young women. But a recent study contends that belief is not accurate.

Current guidelines indicate that women may stop getting screened for cervical cancer at the age of 65. However, many older women lack the appropriate amount of screening history to evaluate their real risk.  A new study has found that incidence rates of the disease actually don’t decline until 85 years of age, and suggests that continued surveillance could be beneficial after all.

The study “Cervical Cancer Screening and Incidence by Age: Unmet Needs Near and After the Stopping Age for Screening” was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Researchers found that in women who have not undergone a hysterectomy, the incidence of cervical cancer increases with age until age 70 and does not begin to decline until age 85.

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Football reporter, Florida alumna Erin Andrews reveals cancer diagnosis

Football reporter, Florida alumna Erin Andrews reveals cancer diagnosis

WATCH: Florida alumna, football reporter Erin Andrews gets emotional when discussing difficult 2016

Are you a Louisiana woman between 21 and 64, and unsure if you can afford a Pap test? LBCHP is here to help. Find out if you're eligible for a no-cost #PapTest #CancerPrevention https://goo.gl/6G1ql8