by Brooke Bunch

It’s deadly, yet detectable and curable.   

Cancer is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing nearly 25,000 in Ohio alone. Cancer is the second leading cause of death for adults in Ohio following heart disease. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Ohio for children between the ages of five and 14. But cancer is curable if detected early, says Kathy Trace, R.N., director of Community Service Programs (CSP) at OU-COM.

Trace is coordinating a health fair at Trimble High School Saturday, July 16, to spread the word about cancer prevention and detection, particularly cervical cancer, a disease which has proven to be critical in Southeastern Ohio.

“More women suffer from cervical cancer in Southeastern Ohio than in any other part of the state,” Trace says. “And women in this area with cervical cancer are more likely to die from it because, typically, it is advanced when diagnosed.”

But there’s hope according to Trace, because cervical cancer can be detected in its early stages by yearly pap smears and is curable when found early. “Annual pap smears,” says Trace, “are the best method of early detection.”

According to the American Cancer Society, women who do not have those screenings on a regular basis greatly increase their chances of developing cervical cancer.

“Nationwide, 11 percent of women report they do not have regular pap smears,” Trace says. That percentage is significantly higher in Southeastern Ohio, she says. “Once cervical cancer becomes advanced, especially in young women, it can be deadly.”

According to the National Cancer Institute, cervical cancer is a disease in which cancer cells form in the tissues of the cervix. Possible signs of cervical cancer include vaginal bleeding and pelvic pain. Cervical cancer usually develops slowly over time. Human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted infection, is a major risk factor for development of cervical cancer.

Other risk factors include the following:

·   Giving birth to many children.

·   Having many sexual partners.

·   Having first sexual intercourse at a young age.

·   Smoking cigarettes.

·   Oral contraceptive use (“the Pill”).

·   Weakened immune system.

According to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition, more than 3,900 women die in the United States each year from this disease. About two out of three deaths are in women 55 and older. Trace hopes to lower the risk for the cancer in Southeastern Ohio by educating women to the danger — and detection — of the disease. “You hear a lot of talk about other cancers, but you don’t hear a lot about cervical cancer,” Trace says.

At the July 16 Trimble Township Health Fair, CSP will have several physicians and specialists discussing — in plain talk — the risks, detection strategies and treatments for cancer.

Darla Fickle, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, will be speaking about the risks and early detection of cervical cancer at the health fair.

Ed Robles, D.O. (‘97), OU-COM assistant professor of family medicine, will be targeting cancer in men in his lecture at the Trimble Township Health Fair, specifically colorectal, prostate and skin cancer, as well as preventive health care.

“It’s a good opportunity for patients to gain information as to why they should consider screening visits,” Robles says. “Between 40 to 50 years old, you start seeing problems and should be checked regularly.”

Other speakers include Marty Bayha, OU-COM administrator and breast cancer survivor, and Nathan Angle, M.D., emergency medicine resident at Ohio State University Hospital. Presentations will be from 10:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch will be provided. The first 25 people to arrive between 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. will receive complimentary cholesterol screenings. Free colorectal cancer screening kits and door prizes will also be provided.

An exhibition of displays on health care and disease prevention, provided by CSP’s local health-care partners, will be open from 9 to 10 a.m. Among the exhibitors will be Family Healthcare; Athens Women, Infants and Children; Health Recovery Services; O’Bleness Memorial Hospital; and Doctors Hospital of Nelsonville.The health fair will begin at 10:15 a.m. at Trimble High School. Pre-registration is required. To pre-register, please call (800) 844-2654 to register. Registration for the fair begins at 9 a.m.

Trace urges all to attend the Trimble Township Health Fair. “This is a cancer education and prevention program for the men and women of Southeastern Ohio,” she says. Residents of Perry and Morgan counties are also welcome and encouraged to attend.

“It’s important for residents in rural areas to attend these health fairs because they don’t have the resources readily available to them,” Trace says. “They don’t have a hospital that’s 10 minutes away as in more metropolitan areas.

“Our health fair brings resources to the people — people who otherwise would not receive this health-care screening and education.”

The Trimble Township Health Fair is sponsored by OU-COM with the assistance of a grant from the American Cancer Society and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. For more information, please contact CSP.