Men and HPV
Listen up mis hermanos (my brothers), a new study today from the Lancet reports that about half of men in the United States carry HPV (humanpapilloma virus), or the virus that is linked to cervical cancer in women. However did you know that HPV is also linked to head and neck cancers in men. Two-thirds of cancer of the tongue and tounsils are caused by HPV, with about 80% of those cases being men. ¿Qué significa todo esto? (What does this all mean?) well as a young woman, it makes me want to make sure to let men know that we are not the only ones responsible for reducing the rates of HPV. Since it is virtually symptomless, you are easily passing it to your partners during sexual contact. Vaccination for young men should also be a topic of discussion between parents and their primary care physician. This means that we should all be asking for more research to be done so that we can all understand HPV and its link to men.
Women Over 30 and the HPV Test
The HPV test is performed to detect the presence of high-risk (cancer-causing) types of HPV. In March of 2003, the FDA approved the HPV Test for routine use along with a Pap test for all women 30 years of age and older, the group considered most at risk for cervical cancer. This test is done along with your Pap test with no extra discomfort to you. You may not know if your doctor had ordered the HPV test unless you ask so its always a good idea to discuss this test with your doctor. Be your own health advocate so you have that extra peace of mind.
If your HPV test is positive, it doe not mean that you have, nor will you automatically develop cervical cancer. It is very common to have HPV. Your doctor will probably perform another exam called a "colposcopy" that allows a closer look at your cervix. If abnormalities are visible to him, he will removed some tissue from your cervix (biopsy) and send to the lab. If mild cell changes are found, they will most likely be monitored for awhile. Most of these abnormal cell changes go away on their own without causing any problems, but it should always be monitored closely. If moderate to severe abnormalities are found, treatment is needed to remove the cells before it develops into cervical cancer.
HPV is as prevalent as ever and this is why is crucial to get yourself screened to know your HPV status. It can make a difference in your life. Do you know your HPV status???
P.S. - There is no FDA-approved HPV test for men.
Cervical Cancer Awareness & Prevention is a year-long effort
This is a great article from the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health who recently partnered with Tamika & Friends, Inc. for a couple of recent events about Latinas and cervical cancer. We are all trying to cut back on the alarming rate at which Latina women (and all women) are dying from this disease. Lack of prevention, awareness, funding and of course, still holding onto those feelings so ingrained within us that are considered "taboo" our bodies and our sexuality. The more we all (including myself) keep talking about our this, the less awkward we will feel and the more empowered we will be.
http://latinainstitute.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/latinas-and-cervical-cancer-the-work-continues/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook
http://latinainstitute.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/latinas-and-cervical-cancer-the-work-continues/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook
Two Vaccines that Guard Against HPV
HPV is the most common Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI), that affects both males and females, and it is also the least understood. Being infected by this virus is not the result of promiscuous sexual behavior, nor is it the result of being unfaithful to your partner. This is so important to state because we all need to toss away all the preconceptions we may have about women who have HPV. It is a known fact that the majority of sexually active people will be affected by HPV in some point of their lives. HPV is easy transmitted, anyone who has any kind of sexual activity involving genital contact with an infected person can get HPV - intercourse is not always necessary. In fact, you can be exposed to HPV by having genital contact just ONCE with another person who has the virus. The virus has no signs or symptoms so people who have HPV don't even know they have it and therefore can pass the virus without even knowing that they are doing so. There is currently no cure or treatment for HPV infection, but there are treatments for the diseases that HPV can cause. The good news is that in most cases the viral infection is transient. Some women however, don't clear certain types of the virus and can develop cervical cancer if they never get the adequate screening needed to watch if there will be any progression of the disease. According to the CDC, approximately 20 million Americans are currently infected with HPV, and another 6 million people become newly infected every year.
There are TWO vaccines that protect and target certain types of HPV; Gardasil and Cervarix.
Gardasil: Approved by the FDA in June of 2006 for females ages 9 - 26. It is a quadrivalent vaccine, which means it protects and targets four types of HPV (6, 11, 16, 18). Types 6 & 11 are the strains that cause about 90 percent of genital warts. Types 16 & 18 are the strains that causes about 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. Gardasil is also the only vaccine approved by the FDA for males against HPV. It was approved in October of 2009 for boys ages 9 - 26. "Vaccinating men provides a double benefit in that fewer men with HPV will also mean that fewer women are exposed" - Demetrius Porche, a professor of nursing research and evaluation at the Louisiana State University School of Public Health in New Orleans.
According to a study in the February 3rd issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Gardasil was shown to be 90 percent effective in older teenaged boys and young men.
Cervarix: Approved by the FDA in October 2009 for females ages 9 - 26, is a bivalent vaccine, meaning it protects and targets two types of HPV (16 & 18).
Gardasil and Cervarix are administered in a three dose schedule that should be completed within six months of the initial dose. These vaccines are designed to be administered, and work best before the receiver becomes sexually active. Please speak to you health care provider about using these preventative tools in order to protect your son or daughter against HPV.
Personally, I am very proud of my 15 year-old nephew who decided to vaccinate with Gardasil. Last week he received his second shot and is now waiting for his third and last one. Quoting the HPV commercial he will be "one less".
World Cancer Day 2011
The battle, the aftermath, the survivor-ship affects us along with the people around us. Everyday life is a constant struggle. Yesterday was my one of my every three-month check ups and I was filled with anxiousness, I literally felt like I was holding my breath until my doctor told me "everything seems fine". Then and only then, could I feel a release. I smiled and said to cancer "I'm still kicking your Ass"! I know so many people who have this same emotion, who are in the same "fight" like I am, and to those people, I salute you today and everyday because I know it's not easy but we will claim our victory in the future.
A special thank you to Dr. Wright for giving me the great news. I am still Cancer- Free. Thank you God!!
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| Dr. Jason D. Wright, GYN/Oncologist- NY Presbyterian Hospital |
Latinas and Heart Disease
You always know when you are watching a movie or TV show when someone is having a heart attack. All of a sudden they stop talking mid-sentence. Their eyes start to bulge, a hand goes to their chest, a side step or two (people screaming in the background), and down they go. That's great for entertainment purposes, but in reality there is a reason that heart disease is known as a "silent killer" for women. Quite often the symptoms we experience are mild and we as women will brush it off. Why? Is there something programmed in our DNA that stops us from taking it seriously? More often that not, we are too busy in our roles as mother, wife, sister, friend etc. etc., that we think nothing of forgetting to schedule appointments or checkups needed, and we dismiss our intuition that alerts us that something might be wrong.
Some of the signs and symptoms that should alert us to call 911 immediately include shortness of breath, chest pain, numbness or weakness in your face or only on one side of your body, severe headaches of unknown origin and trouble seeing out of one or both eyes. Heart disease is the #1 killer of American women. African-American women are more likely to die from heart disease than women of any other race. For Latina women living in the US, 29% of the more than 50,000+ deaths each year are related to heart disease.
The best weapons to decrease these statistics come from changing our lifestyles. Increase our exercise, make sure to schedule checkups to monitor our cholesterol, blood pressure, decrease stress in our lives and modify our eating habits.
For more information on the Go Red campaign visit their website at: http://www.goredforwomen.org/
Some of the signs and symptoms that should alert us to call 911 immediately include shortness of breath, chest pain, numbness or weakness in your face or only on one side of your body, severe headaches of unknown origin and trouble seeing out of one or both eyes. Heart disease is the #1 killer of American women. African-American women are more likely to die from heart disease than women of any other race. For Latina women living in the US, 29% of the more than 50,000+ deaths each year are related to heart disease.
The best weapons to decrease these statistics come from changing our lifestyles. Increase our exercise, make sure to schedule checkups to monitor our cholesterol, blood pressure, decrease stress in our lives and modify our eating habits.
For more information on the Go Red campaign visit their website at: http://www.goredforwomen.org/
My Heart, Your Heart, Every Woman Heart......
Raise awareness of the importance of taking care of your heart. We are all aware of the effects of breast cancer and cervical cancer to women...we need to reinforce the importance of good heart health to women also.
If you haven't had a physical recently, make an appointment. If you are over 40 and haven't had a stress test as recommended, ask your doctor to schedule one. Make sure that you are your own health advocate. Hispanic women are at a greater risk for heart disease. Cardiovascular disease kills more that 435,000 women each year which is about one woman every minute. Please make the right choice.
My Diagnosis with Cervical Cancer
I was in utter disbelief. Here I was, about to enjoy life to the fullest, my husband and I had made so many plans after we both retired from the NYPD. All those plans were NOT happening after my GYN doctor hit me with the shocking news that I had Stage IIB Cervical Cancer. I thought, I'm finally going to retire, and now I'm going to die from cervical cancer? So many questions hit me at once. Where did it come from? How did this happened? Have they just given me a death sentence? So many questions to be answered, and not all the answers made sense. My husband and I left the doctor's office numb. Due to my lack of education and misconceptions of the disease, I was ashamed that I had cervical cancer due to HPV.
Little did I know then, that I was about to start the fight for my life. It was like staring at a box of 5,000 puzzle pieces. Where do you start? All the pieces looked the same. We took time to do a lot of crying and a lot of hugging. Considering the circumstances, I also found myself losing my spirituality and began questioning what my purpose in life was. What did I do wrong to deserve this?
My treatment consisted of chemotherapy, external and internal radiation. I was going to get radiation every day for the next eight weeks, chemotherapy once a week for eight weeks, and if that wasn't enough, two treatments of internal radiation. The journey was long and difficult to say the least. It's something I would not wish on anybody.
On May 5, 2009, I got my PET scan to see if all of these treatments had worked. I had never felt so anxious before in my life. Thankfully, my tumor was GONE and there were NO cancer cells visible. My prayers had been answered, the nightmare was over!!! Now I use my story and my experience to make women aware about this preventable disease and to not become a statistic. We know where it comes from - a virus (HPV) and we have the tools to prevent it. You do NOT have to be ashamed if you have HPV. It is NOT the result of promiscuous sexual behavior, or being unfaithful to your partner. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. It is common in all sexually active people. At least 80% of sexually active people will get HPV at some time in their lives.
This disease takes away your identity, it not only affects you but also the people around you and unfortunately, in many cases it can even takes your life. No woman should die from this preventable disease! Currently, I am cancer free for a year and nine months. I have to visit my GYN/Oncologist every three months for the next three years, but I don't mind doing that because I'm ALIVE!! Nothing will ever keep me from my appointments anymore. It's still nerve wracking at times because the fear of the cancer returning is always there, but I try to keep a positive attitude and keep moving forward. In a few days I will have my eighth check up after being told I was cancer free. I have to admit, just thinking about it makes me feel anxious already. This is now the norm to me, and God willing I will be OK.
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