Pap Smear News and Research

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The Pap test, also called a Pap smear, checks for changes in the cells of your cervix. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus (womb) that opens into the vagina (birth canal). The Pap test can tell if you have an infection, abnormal (unhealthy) cervical cells, or cervical cancer.

Investigational drug may help prevent recurrence of ovarian cancer

A drug that may help prevent recurrence of ovarian cancer by inhibiting development of new blood vessels essential to cancer growth is under study at the Medical College of Georgia.

9 Mar 2005

Who would have thought we needed to study men for a cancer that targets women?

Who would have thought we needed to study men for a cancer that targets women? Anna Giuliano, Ph.D., at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, is doing just that in an investigation concerning the human papillomavirus (HPV).

7 Mar 2005

Prostate screenings could be used to encourage colon checks

Colon cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in men, but according to a new University of Michigan Health System study, fewer than half of men surveyed were up-to-date with colon cancer screenings.

3 Mar 2005

New brochure helps explain treatment for gynecologic cancers

The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology has published a new patient information brochure Radiation Therapy for Gynecologic Cancers: Facts to Help People Understand Their Treatment Options to help educate patients and their families about the treatments available for gynecologic cancers.

7 Feb 2005

Pap smear has become an annual screening rite among American women

Since it was first introduced six decades ago, the Papanicolaou (Pap) smear – widely credited with substantial reductions in the incidence and mortality from cervical cancer – has become an annual screening rite among American women.

31 Jan 2005

Can vegetables could help to prevent cervical cancer?

Researchers in South Wales are investigating the possibility that a chemical called Diindolylmethane (DIM), which is usually found in broccoli, sprouts and cabbage, could help to prevent cervical cancer.

27 Jan 2005

Screening tests find colorectal cancer in its earliest stages when it can be treated more successfully

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is second only to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. In 2004, it’s estimated that CRC caused nearly 57,000 deaths.

18 Jan 2005

Researchers attack cervical cancer

As more and more promising results of clinical trials on vaccination against human papillomaviruses are published, the more likely it becomes that an HPV vaccine will be the first licensed immunization against a sexually transmitted disease.

17 Jan 2005

Elderly women with cervical cancer face double jeopardy

Elderly women with cervical cancer face double jeopardy. Not only does their advanced age decrease chances of survival, it also decreases the likelihood that they'll be given the most aggressive treatments for their disease, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

28 Dec 2004

Speculoscopy directly after a Pap smear may detect more cervical lesions than the Pap test alone

Inspecting the cervix with a bright light technology called speculoscopy directly after a Pap smear may detect more cervical lesions than the Pap test alone, according to a new review of studies about the procedure.

28 Dec 2004

Vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, sprouts or cauliflower could help in the fight against cancer

Researchers from the Wales College Of Medicine, Cardiff University in the UK have discovered what may be a clue to the prevention and treatment of cancer. They have found that when vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, sprouts or cauliflower are eaten, they could help in the fight against cancer.

16 Nov 2004

Regular smear tests rather than colposcopy is the best way of monitoring low-grade cervical lesions

Results of a US study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET suggest that regular smear tests rather than colposcopy is the best way of monitoring low-grade cervical lesions among adolescents and young women.

5 Nov 2004

Women still not checking for breast cancer

One woman in five never checks her breasts for signs of breast cancer and women in London are the most complacent according to new research from Macmillan Cancer Relief as Breast Cancer Awareness Month draws to a close.

25 Oct 2004

National clinical trial on early detection of ovarian cancer available at Massey

Virginia Gov. Mark Warner declared September “Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month” in a certificate of recognition to Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Cancer Center.

1 Sep 2004

Outreach boosts disease prevention at U.S./Mexico border

Personal contact by community health outreach workers increased Mexican-American women’s adherence to annual preventive medical exams by 35 percent, a new study finds.

17 Jul 2004

American women having unnecessary PAP smears

Many American women who have had a hysterectomy are still having routine PAP smear tests even though they are not at risk of cervical cancer, according to a new report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

22 Jun 2004

Joint initiative to tackle cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke

Three of the nation’s leading not-for-profit health agencies today announced a joint initiative to empower Americans to help lower their risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke by following a single set of recommendations.

16 Jun 2004

Women are not checking for colon cancer

Many women who regularly get checked for breast cancer and cervical cancer still don’t go for a test that could save them from another big killer -- colon cancer – according to new University of Michigan research. But perhaps their mammogram and Pap smear appointments could be used as “teachable moments” to help prompt them to get their colons checked, the researchers suggest.

15 May 2004

Cervical Dysplasia treatment linked to water breaking too early

Two treatments for removing precancerous tissue from the cervix are associated with an increased risk of preterm delivery (delivery before 37 weeks gestation) caused by the pregnancy complication known as preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM).

5 May 2004

AMA tackles health literacy

An estimated 90 million adults – nearly half the adults in America – have trouble understanding medical terms and directions, according to two studies published on April 8 by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

12 Apr 2004