Women's cancer warning
She was beautiful, in every way. Kind, intelligent yet understated, eyes that sparkled when she smiled. Gone too young, leaving three school-age children parentless. Gone too fast — only two years, despite several rounds of chemo and moments of hope.
Cervical cancer can be brutal that way. A highly aggressive form of women’s cancer, the American Cancer Society estimates 12,990 new U.S. diagnoses of invasive cervical cancer in 2016. Most are caused by HPV — human papillomavirus, or the “pap” test in women’s annual checkups. Early detection is critical and the test recently improved, so fewer women have to share the experience of our friend, who caught it too late.
It’s a little known fact that most daughters, mothers, sisters, and wives — more than 80 percent of women and currently about 79 million Americans — have some type of HPV at some point in life. Symptoms come and go, but this incurable virus remains.
Still, a positive diagnosis doesn’t necessitate panic. There are dozens of strains of HPV, and very few are the “high risk” strains which can lead to cancer and pre-cancerous conditions. Even better, girls aged 11 to 26 can get a relatively new vaccine to prevent it. Sadly, although pediatricians recommended it, not enough parents consent.
Why? Ignorance and stigma. Most HPV is sexually transmitted (yet the vaccine works in advance). It can lay dormant for years, even decades, so a current diagnosis may be from an old relationship. Married women, like our friend who had only one partner, can get HPV. Not that it matters how. There shouldn’t be a stigma, fear, or judgment about a potentially fatal disease, nor a natural aspect of life.
If you’re wondering, men are OK. While they generally carry HPV unknowingly — and even more men than women do — with very rare exception, only women are affected.
Something you should know during Cervical Cancer Awareness Month: Insurance coverage for gynecological cancers and pre-cancers can be sketchy, adding stress to an already distressing situation.
The irony of relative good luck in early diagnosis, at which point doctor-recommended surgery may take a patient with a precancerous condition from high-risk to almost no risk of developing full cancer, is that certain preventive procedures are considered not to be “medically necessary.” Other costly chemotherapies and treatments labeled “experimental,” including treatment which the young, insured mother described above paid for herself to extend her life beyond the initial prognosis, may also be denied coverage.
Sometimes alternative and less costly outpatient procedures get rid of those frighteningly abnormal cells; sometimes that’s not enough. The condition may return, initially undetected. Even so, high risk HPV remains, and can still cause cancer down the road. If you had the option to prevent a lifetime of testing and worry, would you do it, or opt for “wait and see?” Is our healthcare payment system adequate, when lives may be at stake? With so many women potentially affected, should this cancer remain in the dark?
Please, vaccinate the girls in your family. Talk about this. It’s within our power to conquer this cancer for our daughters. Control over the “c” word is too precious and rare not to exercise.
For more information see Cancercenter.com/cervical-cancer.
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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Email [email protected].