‘Moesha’ Star Yvette Wilson Loses Her Fight With Cervical Cancer

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

People have access but also just dont get them. Pap smears are great, but they also aren't 100%. I don't know what happened in her case, but for people with the HPV virus, a window of only 5 years is needed in pap smears for someone to miss a cervical cancer. I'm a doctor, and I haven't had a pap in 3 years. That's not our health care system, that's my fault. It's not a priority for a lot of people to go every year when they are young and healthy. That reminds me...

They don't even recommend that most people go every year anymore, and it can be hard to figure out exactly what you need and when. Like I said, though, it's just surprising because it's so rare to see someone die of cervical cancer; it's the cancer that modern(ish) medicine has defanged more than any other type.

[AnotherKD]

I was diagnosed years ago, and have to get checked every 6 months to see if it has come back. It probably will at some point, but at least I should never get to high stages... This is a fantastic reminder that I have to make my next appointment and for all of you girls out there to get checked, even though it is really inconvenient.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

They don't even recommend that most people go every year anymore, and it can be hard to figure out exactly what you need and when. Like I said, though, it's just surprising because it's so rare to see someone die of cervical cancer; it's the cancer that modern(ish) medicine has defanged more than any other type.

IF you are in a monogamous relationship and have had three negative pap smears in a row, you can skip three years. Those are big IFs.

[PM_Mama00]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

IF you are in a monogamous relationship and have had three negative pap smears in a row, you can skip three years. Those are big IFs.

How can you be sure the other person is 100% monogamous?

I've always been taught to go every year and even if you don't HAVE to, it's still nice to have that piece of mind.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00

How can you be sure the other person is 100% monogamous?

I've always been taught to go every year and even if you don't HAVE to, it's still nice to have that piece of mind.

As I understand it, cervical cancer is SO slow moving, 99.99% of the time, that even if you contracted a high-risk type of HPV today, you'd probably be just fine having a pap in three years.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

They don't even recommend that most people go every year anymore, and it can be hard to figure out exactly what you need and when. Like I said, though, it's just surprising because it's so rare to see someone die of cervical cancer; it's the cancer that modern(ish) medicine has defanged more than any other type.

Even more than prostate cancer?

While some doctors allow people with 3 normal paps in a row and 3 years in a monogamous relationship to do Paps every other year, why risk it? Seriously, why? Most insurance will still cover an annual pap as part of the well-woman exam.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Even more than prostate cancer?

About 7X as many men die from PC in the US as women from CC.

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

While some doctors allow people with 3 normal paps in a row and 3 years in a monogamous relationship to do Paps every other year, why risk it? Seriously, why? Most insurance will still cover an annual pap as part of the well-woman exam.

If your insurance covers it, and you want to do it annually, do it, but the medical community seems to agree that it's not really that necessary. Over-testing can have negative consequences, as well, especially when you look at it from a public health standpoint.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

About 7X as many men die from PC in the US as women from CC.



If your insurance covers it, and you want to do it annually, do it, but the medical community seems to agree that it's not really that necessary. Over-testing can have negative consequences, as well, especially when you look at it from a public health standpoint.

Exactly. You can have an abnormal pap smear for reasons other than cervical cancer or pre-cancerous lesions that can cause you to have unnecessary biopsies. Not everyone in monogamous relationships have trust issues. Some people in monogamous relationships should have trust issues. If you aren't in a monogamous relationship, get your yearly pap, otherwise, it has been proven safe to go three years between paps.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

About 7X as many men die from PC in the US as women from CC.

But there are 15 times as many PC diagnoses in the US. So, doesn't that mean the mortality rate for cervical cancer is higher than that for prostate cancer? It's probably the case for both types of cancer that early detection would cut the mortality rate even more.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

But there are 15 times as many PC diagnoses in the US. So, doesn't that mean the mortality rate for cervical cancer is higher than that for prostate cancer? It's probably the case for both types of cancer that early detection would cut the mortality rate even more.

Actually, there is new research that suggests that PSA testing for men is doing more harm than good, and the next few years will probably see a lot of debate around which men to test and how often.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

But there are 15 times as many PC diagnoses in the US. So, doesn't that mean the mortality rate for cervical cancer is higher than that for prostate cancer? It's probably the case for both types of cancer that early detection would cut the mortality rate even more.

Most men by the age of 70 will have a diagnosis of prostate cancer, and in fact in autopsy series, prostate cancer is found in almost all men over that age. It is not the cause of death, however. Prostate cancer comes in two flavors, aggressive and indolent. Pretty much the same thing happens in breast cancer. They are both cancers of aging. The indolent variety is just there and doesn't cause any problems and probably doesn't need to be treated. The problem is that it is difficult to figure out who has aggressive and who has indolent prostates cancer. They are now recommending that men not be screened for prostate cancer because the treatment is so aggressive and unnecessary for the vast majority of the patients diagnosed with prostate cancer who would have otherwise gone on to die of something else, never having suffered from their disease. Cervical cancer screening, however, has been a big success, and the natural history is very different because the disease is a viral based cancer rather than a hormonally fed cancer such as prostate and breast cancer.