Cervical Cancer Awareness Month: Women’s Cancer Center of Nevada urges women to get pap exams

Jan. 14, 2011 - PRLog -- In observing Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, it is the Women’s Cancer Center of Nevada’s hope that women realize, an annual pap exam could very well save their life.

“Cervical cancer is almost always treatable and preventable,” Dr. Natalie Gould said. “An annual pap exam can identify changing cells early and is the best defense against developing cervical cancer.”

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate 4,000 American women die each year from cervical cancer. Additionally, 12,000 are diagnosed with the disease

Gould, who moved to Las Vegas from Virginia in October, was surprised by the high number of cervical cancer cases being treated at Women’s Cancer Center. She says cervical cancer is preventable because it takes years for the abnormal cells to become cancerous.  During an annual pap exam, doctors look for abnormal cells and treat the patient before the problem escalates to cancer.

Led by director Dr. Nicola Spirtos, the Women’s Cancer Center is the only cancer center in Nevada that specializes exclusively in gynecologic cancers, including ovarian, cervical and uterine cancer.

As a full member in the Gynecologic Oncology Group, the Women’s Cancer Center offers both standard approaches and clinical trials for those who qualify.

Surgeons at the center are pioneers in the research and use of laparoscopic techniques, which, though less invasive, can be as effective as more widely used surgical procedures for treating women with gynecologic cancers.  The center is one of only a handful of major institutions in the country to study this approach.

This past September, the Women’s Cancer Center held an event to draw attention to ovarian cancer. Owareness, which raised more than $17,000, featured appearances by illusionist Criss Angel, former congresswoman Dina Titus and a number of cancer survivors.

For more information on the center and to learn more about gynecologic cancers, please visit http://www.facebook.com/womenscancercenter. Not only does the page offer news, tips and information, it also feature links to 24 other cancer organizations on Facebook via their favorite pages section.

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