The Cayman Islands Cancer Society has wrapped up its cervical cancer charity voucher program for 2014.
Every year, approximately 31,700 women in Latin America and the Caribbean die from cervical cancer. With the Caribbean being among the top four highest sub-regions in the world with respect to incidence of cervical cancer and having the highest burden of HPV (human papilloma virus) in the Americas, our aim focuses on prevention programs for children and adults.
Many women feel anxious or worried when told that their Pap smear result is abnormal. It is important to remember that almost all abnormal Pap smear results are not due to cancer. Not all problems will need treatment and those that do can be treated quite easily and very successfully.
Normal Pap smear result: A normal Pap smear result means that no cell changes, caused by HPV, were found on your cervix. Even if your results are normal, you will still need to have another Pap smear in two years’ time as new cell changes can still form on your cervix.
Unclear: It is common for test results to come back unclear. Your doctor may use the word ASCUS (Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance) to describe this result. This means cervical cells may look abnormal but it is not possible to tell (by looking at the cells under a microscope) if this is caused by infection, irritation, or if it is a pre-cancer. In fact, 70-80 percent of women who get a Pap smear will have ASCUS. Most of the time, cells labelled ASCUS are not pre-cancer. Most often, ASCUS will clear itself, so doctors just like to keep a watchful eye.
Abnormal: Just because you have an abnormal result does not mean that you have cervical cancer. Abnormal changes on your cervix are likely caused by HPV. The changes may be minor (low-grade) or serious (high-grade).
Most of the time, minor changes go back to normal on their own, but more serious changes can turn into cancer if they are not removed. The more serious changes are often called “pre-cancer” because they are not yet cancer, but they can turn into cancer over time.
In rare cases, an abnormal Pap test can show that you may have cancer. You will need other tests to be sure. The earlier you find cervical cancer, the easier it is to treat.
Low grade changes: Low grade changes are most likely to be caused by the HPV infection. Most cases do not require treatment. However, it is important that you continue to monitor your condition.
High-grade changes: High-grade changes are more serious changes to the cells of your cervix. These changes have a greater chance of developing into cervical cancer if you leave it untreated. High grade changes require further investigation, but can usually be treated easily and successfully if detected early.
Unsatisfactory result: Sometimes test results come back as unsatisfactory. This simply means that you will be required to have another Pap smear in six to 12 weeks. An unsatisfactory result can happen for several reasons, including: the sample contains too much blood; your cervix was inflamed at the time of your sample; not enough cells were taken; the test was not properly prepared; or a broken slide.
Victoria Anderson Gray is the project coordinator for the Cayman Islands Cancer Society. For information on cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccine program, call 949-7618 or email [email protected].
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