Cervical cancer discussed
It is vitally important for women to get annual medical check-ups to help detect abnormal changes to their cervix to prevent cervix cancer.
That was the consensus agreed upon by panelists participating in the "Teal the Town: Cervical Cancer Awareness" virtual town hall discussion hosted by the University of Florida Health Cancer Center and the Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) Steering Committee.
January was Cervical Cancer Awareness Month and teal is the color of cervical cancer awareness. The focus of the discussion was cervical cancer screening.
“African American women are the ones struggling the most with their health care to know about it early,” said Tarcha Rentz, Ph.D., who moderated the Jan. 25 discussion, adding that early detection of cancer can save lives.
Cervical cancer is a malignant tumor in the cervix, the lowermost part of the uterus. Long-lasting infection with certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer. HPV is a common virus that is passed from one person to another during sex.
The discussion featured COE Steering Committee members sharing their survivor stories, and speakers included Shereka Nicole, Chanda Mayes, Chanae Jackson, Kandra Albury, Lisia Jenkins;obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Analeta Peterson, Michelle Nall, Pastor Gerard Duncan of Prayers by Faith Ministries and Sarah Szurek, Ph.D.
“Being able to serve women in any community is my passion,” Peterson said. “I want to empower women to make the right decisions to improve their health.”
Peterson shared cervical cancer statistics through presentation slides.
According to Peterson, once diagnosed with cervical cancer, Black women are 80% more likely to die than white women.
Jackson said she is an advocate for bringing awareness to healthcare disparities and talked about why cancer affects Black women severely.
“Black people don’t go to doctors,” Jackson said. “We don’t go because of fear. We go when we have symptoms and that’s too late. The disease is already progressing when we get the symptoms.”
Jackson encouraged women to schedule annual doctor appointments and get routine pap smears for early detection.
A pap smear is a diagnostic procedure to collect cells from a woman’s cervix to detect potentially precancerous and cancerous cells.
Nicole, a cervical cancer survivor, talked about how she overcame the diagnosis.
“You can still have a life after diagnosis,” Nicole said. “Schedule and keep your appointments. Tell a young lady, reach out to them, and be accountable for one another. Go with them and show support. We don’t want you to live in fear.”
Rentz talked about how detecting cervical cancer early with a pap smear can give women a greater chance of surviving after diagnosis and she talked about the benefits of HPV testing.
“It’s really about preventative care and finding your tribe,” Rentz said. “We need to empower the community to be proactive about their health.”
Nall, a UF Mobile Outreach Clinic nurse, said the clinic offers affordable and accessible screenings.
The clinic can be reached at 352-273-5329 or via email at mobileclinic@health.ufl.edu.
To contact the UF Health Cancer and the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement, email COE@cancer.ufl.edu.