Cervical cancer awareness month: Black women at higher risk in Ohio

Leeya Pinder, MD, Gynecologic Oncologist at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Every year in Ohio, more black women die from cervical cancer than any other group of women in the state. It is so important to know that cervical cancer is largely preventable through regular cervical cancer screening, treatment of abnormal areas of the cervix detected by screening (cervical precancer), and vaccination against the virus that contributes to the development of cervical cancer—the human papillomavirus (HPV). Cervical Cancer Screening: When & How When you receive a cervical cancer screening, your provider will complete both an HPV test and a Pap test—the HPV test looks for the virus that can cause cervical precancer or cancer, and the Pap test (or Pap smear) searches for any changes of the cervix that could be precancer or cancer. Both tests are typically completed in a provider’s office or clinic. During the Pap test, the doctor places a small instrument in the vagina, called a speculum. This helps the doctor examine the vagina and cervix and collect a few cells from the cervix utilizing a small swab or brush to test for precancer or cancer. How often to...