RISK FACTORS
- Have you ever had sex?
- Have you ever been told that you had human papilloma virus (HPV)?
- Have you ever had genital warts?
- Do you smoke?
- Do you have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or AIDS?
- Did your mother take diethylstilbestrol (DES) when she was pregnant with you?
For more information on risk factors, read What Are the Risk Factors for Cervical Cancer?
Assess your risk for cervical cancer.
PREVENTIVE BEHAVIORS
- Reduce your risk of getting HPV by:
- Having sex with only one other person who only has sex with you
- Practicing safer sex by using condoms each time you have sex
- Quit smoking
- Have regular Pap tests
For more information on preventive behaviors, read Can Cervical Cancer Be Prevented?
EARLY DETECTION
- Yearly Pap test to begin about 3 years after you first have sex, or by age 21, whichever is earlier. The newer liquid-based Pap test can be done every 2 years
- After age 30, if you have had 3 normal test results in a row, you may be tested every 2-3 years with Pap or liquid Pap tests, or every 3 years with an HPV DNA test plus a Pap.
For more information about HPV, read What Every Woman Should Know.
- If you are 70 years old or older, and have had 3 or more normal Pap tests in a row with no abnormal Pap tests in the past 10 years, you may choose to stop Pap testing
- If you have had a total hysterectomy, you may choose to stop Pap testing unless the surgery was for cancer
Women at high risk:
- Women with poor immune function due to organ transplant, chemotherapy, steroid use, or HIV infection need yearly testing even after age 30
- Women whose mothers took DES during pregnancy need yearly testing even after age 30
For more information on early detection, read Can Cervical Cancer Be Found Early?
CANCER TREATMENT OPTIONS
Evergreen’s Cancer Program offers a range of treatment options for prostate cancer. Depending on staging, those treatments include surgery or radiation with Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT).
The NexProfiler™ is an interactive tool that provides evidence-based, peer-reviewed medical literature to help cancer patients and their physicians make more informed treatment decisions. It is brought to you by Evergreen Healthcare and NexCura Inc.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Cancer Care at Evergreen
American Cancer Society
National Cancer Institute
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