January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month
SC UNITED in Teal & White Lobby Day at the State House is Wednesday, January 18th and is expected to attract over well 100 statewide volunteers, survivors and health professionals at the State House to promote early screening awareness for cervical cancer.
The purpose of the SC United Teal & White Campaign is to bring together a statewide coalition of managed care organizations (MCO), commercial insurers, citizens, governmental, medical, academic and advocacy organizations in a collaborative effort to turn the state Teal & White as a part of the cervical cancer awareness fight. The campaign offers an opportunity to establish a cervical cancer awareness campaign in which everyone across the state of South Carolina can support the cervical cancer prevention fight through the following ways:
· Completing a cervical cancer screening
· Providing cervical cancer screenings
· Participating in ‘Pap Chat’ which is a simple way to initiate meaningful dialogue around cervical cancer awareness, promotion and prevention strategies
· Attend cervical cancer education sessions to increase knowledge of cervical cancer screening, and screening guidelines
South Carolina Facts:
· South Carolina ranked 15th in the nation for cervical cancer incidence in 2013.
· South Carolina ranked 12th in the nation for cervical cancer mortality in 2013.
· Screening is extremely important for early detection and treatment.
· White women are less likely to develop cervical cancer than black women.
· Black women are nearly twice as likely to die from cervical cancer as white women.
Cervical cancer facts in South Carolina:
· South Carolina ranked 15th in the nation for cervical cancer incidence and 12th for cervical cancer mortality.
· Cervical cancer incidence and mortality have fallen substantially over the last several decades due to the Pap test screening. Cervical cancer is not one of the top ten cancers for incidence (new cases) or mortality (deaths) for women in South Carolina.
Incidence:
· Cervical cancer incidence rates (2009-2013) are slightly higher in South Carolina compared to the U.S. (8.1 vs. 7.7 new cases per 100,000 women, respectively).
· Black women have a higher cervical cancer incidence rate than white women (9.1 vs. 7.9 new cases per 100,000 women, respectively)
Mortality:
· Cervical cancer mortality rates (2009-2013) are slightly higher in South Carolina compared to the U.S. (2.6 vs. 2.3 deaths per 100,000 women, respectively).
· Cervical cancer mortality rates in black women are nearly two times higher than those for white women (4.1; 2.2 per 100,000 women, respectively).
Survival:
· Nationally, women with cervical cancer have a five-year relative survival rate of 92% when diagnosed in the early stages of this disease. Forty-one percent of the cervical cancers diagnosed in South Carolina (2009-2013) were early stage cancers.
· White women with cervical cancer are more likely to be diagnosed with early stage disease than black women (45% and 34%, respectively).
For more information about cervical cancer, or to find resources near you, visit http://www.nccc-online.org/
