INDIANAPOLIS — January is cervical cancer awareness month, which is a type of cancer affecting women that, in most cases, can be avoided.
"Cervical cancer is nearly 100% preventable with regular screenings," said Dr. Adrienne Rasbach, an OBGYN with Ascension St. Vincent.
The American Cancer Society projects more than 4,200 women will die of cervical cancer in the U.S. this year. The good news is that the death rate is declining. Rasbach credits the Pap test and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
Gardasil's HPV vaccine is available to boys and girls starting at age 9. It can also be given to adults up to age 45.
Rasbach just recommended a three-dose course of the vaccine for Jessica, a 42-year-old patient who just tested positive for HPV at her annual Pap appointment.
"Gardasil's vaccine is now approved for ages 26 to 45 for women to help to number one, reduce the chance of any new HPV infections that she may be exposed to from this point onward. And number two, there's some evidence that's just in clinical studies at this point that vaccinating her right now may give her immune system that boost it needs to help to fight off or clear her current HPV infection," Rasbach said.
Patients typically do not have symptoms of cervical cancer, so the best way to find it is regular screening with a Pap test.
Patients who are 21 and older, who have not had an annual screening in the past month, will qualify for Check Up 13 this month if they register by midnight, Jan. 13, 2022.
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