According to America’s Health Rankings website, over 79% of Missouri women between the ages of 21-44 reported receiving a Pap smear within the past three years. While those numbers are good, our state still ranks 13th in the country for the number of women being tested.
The goal of screening for cervical cancer is to find pre-cancerous cervical cell changes, because by the time symptoms appear, cervical cancer may have already begun to spread, making treatment more difficult.
There are three typical ways to screen for cervical cancer:
There are three typical ways to screen for cervical cancer:
- The HPV test checks cells for infection with high-risk HPV types that can cause cervical cancer.
- A Pap smear collects cervical cells that are then reviewed for changes caused by HPV that may—
- if left untreated—turn into cervical cancer.
- The HPV/Pap co-test uses an HPV test and Pap test together to check for both high-risk HPV and cervical cell changes.
One way in which Missouri is promoting cervical health awareness is through the Show Me Healthy Women program, which provides both breast and cervical cancer screenings for free to women who meet age and income guidelines. While there are many providers in this program, 17 Missouri Community Health Centers also participate, often with more than one location in their service area. To locate a provider in your area, click here.
Finally, as part of HRSA’s observance of Cervical Health Awareness month, they will be co-hosting a webinar on Thursday, January 25, from 1 – 2 p.m. ET, to review innovations in cervical cancer prevention and screening. Register here.