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.
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