• January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.

• Regular Pap smear testing is the key to preventing deaths from cervical cancer.

  • The Pap smear test is still the most commonly used cervical cancer screening method and has been proven to be effective in decreasing the number of cervical cancers.

  • The major purpose of Pap smear tests is to find abnormal changes in cells before they become cancer.

  • If the Pap smear test results are abnormal, additional procedures must be done to determine if the changes might be the beginning of cervical cancer.

  • These pre-cancerous changes, and very early cervical cancer, are 100 percent curable.

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• Once a woman becomes sexually active, she should obtain Pap smear tests regularly for the rest of her life.

• Cervical cancer is essentially preventable. No one should die from this disease.

• The primary cause of cervical cancer is the human papilloma virus (HPV), one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the United States.

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• Cervical cancer can be prevented using the same precautions used for other sexually transmitted diseases.

• The Michigan Cancer Consortium (MCC) recommends women receive cervical cancer screening, including a Pap smear and speculum exam, starting at age 21 or three years after the onset of sexual activity. Most women have one or more high risk factors and should be screened annually. As long as their status is low-risk, women may be screened every two years (per the discretion of their provider) after three consecutive annual negative Pap smears.

  • To see the MCC's Guidelines for the Early Detection of Cervical Cancer, visit www.michigancancer.org/WhatWeDo/CervicalCancer.cfm.

• For more information about becoming involved in the Michigan Cancer Consortium’s effort to increase cervical cancer screening rates among women in high-risk populations, with appropriate follow-up of abnormal screening results, call us (toll-free) at 877-588-MCCI or e-mail us at .

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• The Michigan Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP) reaches out to low-income women through a network of local coordinating agencies.

  • The program provides free or low-cost screening and follow-up services to low-income women aged 40 to 64.

  • For more specific information about the Michigan BCCCP, call toll-free 800-922-6266 or visit www.michigancancer.org/CancerPlan/breast_cervical-AboutTheMichiganBCCCP.cfm.

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