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<p>PLAINS TWP. &#8212; January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, a period that serves as a reminder for women to talk to their doctors about the risks of cervical cancer, what causes it and how they can prevent it.</p><p>According to doctors at Geisinger Health System, 99 percent of cervical cancer is caused by human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease.</p><p>The American Cancer Society reports an estimated 12,990 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in the United States in 2016; approximately 4,120 will die from the disease.</p><p>According to Dr. Gary Lawrence, pediatrician for the Geisinger Health System&#8217;s Kistler Clinic, the incidence of precancerous cervical cells in women have dropped because of the Gardasil vaccine to prevent HPV. The vaccine is given in three doses, two months in between.</p><p>Dr. Michael Ferraro, associate regional dean for the Wilkes-Barre campus of The Commonwealth Medical (TCMC) and practicing gynecologist, notes the second dose is the most effective when given at the correct time.</p><p>Lawrence said HPV is the most commonly known sexually transmitted disease in the world, more than gonorrhea or chlamydia. The majority of females rid the body of the virus without any complications because of their immune system. For those who can&#8217;t clear the virus, treatment is required.</p><p><strong>Vaccination for Teenagers</strong></p><p>The HPV virus is everywhere, Lawrence admits. There are noncancerous types of HPV that most people don&#8217;t recognize, including warts on hands.</p><p>Lawrence starts &#8220;this (HPV) is something we can prevent talk&#8221; with parents and their children around age 11. Soft data &#8212; anecdotal and with little researched proof &#8212; suggests the vaccine &#8220;works better when younger.&#8221; The newest vaccine covers nine strains of the virus, and is approved for females ages 9 to 26 and males 9 to 21.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not required for school entry (like measles, mumps and rubella) but comes highly recommended,&#8221; Lawrence said.</p><p>While the original vaccine was for females, Lawrence said the drug is approved for males as well because &#8220;cancer shows up on males in their throat.&#8221;</p><p>Lawrence said the most common question parents ask is, &#8220;If I give my child the vaccine, will my child have sex; is it a green light for sex? The answer to the question is clearly &#8216;no&#8217; or &#8220;if I give the vaccine to my child will it give them cervical cancer: Again, no. It&#8217;s dead strains.&#8221;</p><p>The majority of the time a sore arm is the most common side effect, both Ferraro and Lawrence said during different interviews.</p><p><strong>A silent disease</strong></p><p>According to Ferraro, the disease is reliant on the human body to treat the virus naturally.</p><p>According to Stephanie Veit, a fourth-year medical student at TCMC and future resident in obstetrics and gynecology, the disease is more prevalent in women than men, but men can transmit the disease. Women with early cervical cancers and pre-cancers usually have no symptoms, as symptoms often do not begin until the cancer becomes invasive and grows into nearby tissue.</p><p>&#8220;Never trust a man,&#8221; Ferraro joked.</p><p>Both Ferraro and Veit agree HPV transmission is &#8220;skin touching skin.&#8221;</p><p>If a woman tests positive for HPV during a pap test, she will also be tested for all other STDs.</p><p>Because the virus is caused by contact, including oral sex, new testing is being done to equate esophageal and laryngeal cancers with HPV, Ferraro said.</p><p>&#8220;We are now witnessing a significant increase in oral cancers caused by the virus,&#8221; Ferarro said.</p><p>Although cervical cancer remains a danger to individuals, data shows consistent medical attention and prompt treatment when necessary prevents negative long-term effects in the lives of men and women.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Stephanie Veit a 4th year medical student at TCMC talks about cervical health awarness.  Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL012616cervicalawareness.cp_.mm2_.jpg</photo0><caption0>Stephanie Veit a 4th year medical student at TCMC talks about cervical health awarness.  Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/cervical-cancer-1-26-2015-1.pdf">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/cervical-cancer-1-26-2015-1.pdf</photo1><caption1></caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL012616cervicalawareness.cp_.mm1_-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dr. Michael Ferraro, regional dean of The Commonwealth Medical College, talks about cervical cancer awareness. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL012616cervicalawareness.cp_.mm1_-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Dr. Michael Ferraro, regional dean of The Commonwealth Medical College, talks about cervical cancer awareness. </caption2><photoCredit2>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Melanie Mizenko</p><p>mmizenko@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>The American Cancer Society reports an estimated 12,990 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in the United States in 2016; approximately 4,120 will die from the disease.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Melanie Mizenko at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TL_MMizenko</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Cervical Health Awareness Month serves as reminder for women to talk to their doctors about risks of cancer