Healthy New Year’s Resolutions from the American Cancer Society

January is a month of renewal and fresh starts. If one of your resolutions is to volunteer and give back to the community, now is the time to get involved with the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life which will be held on May 4th. Visit SCVRelay.org to register, donate, or join a team. Learn about other ways to get involved at cancer.org. These include becoming a volunteer driver for the Road to Recovery program which assists cancer patients with rides to their lifesaving treatments.
January is also the month that the United States has designated as Cervical Health Awareness Month. By American Cancer Society estimates, almost 14,000 new cases of invasive cervical cancer occur each year. However, if detected early, cervical cancer is one of the most successfully treatable cancers.
The most important risk factor for cervical cancer is infection by the human papillomavirus (HPV). For most women, pre-cancerous cells will go away without any treatment and cervical cancer can, in most cases, be prevented with regular screening tests. The American Cancer Society suggests that all women with a cervix have a primary HPV test every 5 years starting at age 25 through age 65. If a primary HPV test is not available, then acceptable options include a co-test every 5 years or a Pap test alone every 3 years.
HPV infection has no treatment, but vaccination can prevent more than 90% of HPV cancers when given to girls and boys between the ages of 9 and 12. HPV vaccines have led to a decline in not only cervical cancer but related cancers as well. More than 60% of U.S. parents have chosen to protect their children from cancer with the HPV vaccine. Since the vaccination can still be effective in older girls and boys, and even women and men, the American Cancer Society recommends that children and young adults ages 13 through 26 receive the vaccine as soon as possible. Make a New Year’s Resolution to protect yourself and your loved ones by getting screened. To learn more or find a screening ​location near you, visit www.cancer.org/getscreened or cancer.org/hpv.

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