In the past 50 years, Pap test screening has reduced mortality from cervical cancer by 70 percent. Despite this victory, there are still pockets of women in the country who are being diagnosed with this otherwise preventable disease. Cayuga County is one of these pockets. Cayuga County has an average of five cases and two deaths per year, compared to the national average of more than 11,500 women being diagnosed and around 4,000 dying from it.

Cervical cancer, when found early and treated, is highly curable. The Papanicolaou (Pap) test screens for any abnormal changes within the cervix; however, an abnormal finding may not mean cervical cancer. The Pap test also detects infections of the cervix. Abnormal cells in the cervix and cervical cancer do not always cause symptoms, especially at first, which is why it is so important to get regular Pap tests.

About half of the women in the United States who develop cervical cancer have never had a Pap test. Regular Pap tests decrease a woman's risk for developing cervical cancer because they can detect precancerous cervical lesions at early, treatable stages. Doctors recommend that women begin having regular Pap test and pelvic exams by age 21, or within three years of the first time they have sexual intercourse.

The only women who do not need a regular Pap test are those over age 65 who have had regular Pap tests with normal results and have been told by their doctors that they do not need to be tested anymore, and women who do not have a cervix.

Any woman who has a cervix can get cervical cancer, especially if she or her sexual partner has had sex with several other partners. Most often cervical cancer develops in women ages 40 or older.

Most recently there has been a lot of news regarding the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. In June 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved this vaccine for females 9 to 26 years of age to prevent cervical cancer caused by HPV. The HPV vaccination does not substitute for a routine Pap test. Through our Healthy Men and Women Partnership program, funds are provided to specific medical providers for women ages 19 to 26 years old that are uninsured and underinsured to get the HPV vaccine, Gardasil.

The Cayuga County Healthy Men & Women Partnership offers free breast and cervical cancer screenings to women who are uninsured or underinsured in Cayuga County ages 18 and older. If you have been putting off getting screened for cervical cancer because you have little or no health insurance, please call the Healthy Men and Women Partnership program now to check your eligibility. Having regular cancer screenings could save your life. Call Julie at 253-1455.

If you would like more information on cervical cancer, you can visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at www.cdc.gov/cancer/cervical. For more local data, check the New York State Department of Health Web site at www.health.state.ny.us.

Elane Daly is director of Health and Human Services for Cayuga County. She can be reached at 253-1560 or cchealth@dfa.state.ny.us

Risk factors for cervical cancer:

• Infection with certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV)

• A high number of sexual partners

• Many full-term pregnancies

• Use of oral contraceptives

• Infrequent Pap test and cervical examinations

• A diet low in fruits and vegetables