Read the full Health Day article.

Read the full Reuters article

1. The HPV vaccine, which protects against certain strains of HPV that can help prevent HPV-related cancers, is available to and recommended for boys ages 13 thru 21.
2. Some men are more at risk: gay and bisexual men are more likely to develop HPV-associated anal cancer than men who have sex with women.
3. There is no common screening test to detect HPV in men.
4. Half of men over the age of 15 carry the virus.
5. HPV-associated cancers, particularly oral and oropharyngeal, are on the rise.

Read the Full Huffington Post Article

HPV prevention has become a concern for both men and women. Receiving an HPV vaccine before becoming sexually active is the leading way to prevent the disease. Vaccines have been approved and recommended for teen girls since 2006, but less than a third of all teenage girls have completed the three doses by 2010. Vaccines were just recommended for teen boys last year so statistics are unavailable.

The study found men are more likely than women to contract HPV oral cancer and women are at higher risk for HPV anal cancer. HPV causes over a third of penile cancers, two-thirds of oral cancers and over 90% of anal cancers.

Read the full WebMD article.

However, final guidelines recently published on cervical cancer screening by the USPSTF are being met with general agreement according to recommendations also just made by the American Cancer Society (ACS), the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) and the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). Both the task force and the collaborative groups reviewed scientific literature and came to similar conclusions, that women should reduce the number of tests that they receive over their lifetime.

Cervical cancer used to be one of the most deadliest cancers. Decades ago, it killed more women each year than breast or lung cancer but there have been vast improvements in recent decades due to improved screening, treatment and prevention tools including a vaccine to prevent the human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus which causes cervical cancer. In 2009, about 4,000 women died of cervical cancer, the vast majority of whom had never been screened within 10 years of their diagnosis.

The USPSTF’s revised guidelines say women, on average, should undergo cervical cancer screening no more than once every three years. Specifically, they call for Pap tests every three years for women ages 30 to 65. Women who add testing for HPV can lengthen the interval to once every five years. The USPSTF recommends against cervical cancer screenings in women younger than 21 or older than 65. They also recommend that women under age 21 should not be tested.

There are slight differences in the sets of recommendations, but you should talk with your health care provider about when you and family members should start screening. Pap screening, coupled with other preventive measures, can save lives!

To view a larger version of the infographic or download a pdf, visit the Prevent Cancer Foundation website’s cervical cancer page.

At 31, when I was diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer after 13 normal Pap tests, I had no idea what was in store for me. The surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation, and internal radiation were anticipated and agreed upon, so I kind of knew what I was stepping into on the physical side.  But the emotional upheaval and depression that accompanied the physical assault on my body was another animal. I learned a LOT about myself through the whole experience and I learned a LOT about cervical cancer. So when I finally got to the other side – I decided to use my voice, my music and my story to share what I learned. I wanted to tell EVERYONE that cervical cancer is preventable – because it is.

I learned that cervical cancer is caused by a very common virus called the human papillomavirus (HPV). I learned that the Pap test looks for cell changes caused by HPV, but sometimes, it does not pick up those changes (that is what happened in my case). I learned about the DNA HPV test, recommended for women 30+ and those that get an abnormal Pap, that actually tests for the presence of the virus even before changes can be seen on the surface!  And now of course, we know that there is the HPV vaccine that can stop 70% of the HPV that can lead to cervical cancer. These are the tools. We must use them. It really is as easy as 1, 2, 3.

No matter what your age, there is SOMETHING you can do to stop cervical cancer:
9-26 – HPV Vaccine
21+ – Pap test (liquid is better!)
30+ – HPV test with Pap test

I’ve made it my mission to talk to anyone who will listen because I don’t want anyone to have to go through what I did – or worse – lose their life to this preventable cancer.I started www.theYellowUmbrella.org and have taken my tour/story/music and message around the country over 100 times.  I’ve partnered with others like my survivor sister Tamika and celebrity makeup artist Debra Macki  to continually find new, creative, fun ways to empower women (and the men who love them) with this information.

I know that I am one of the lucky ones because I am still here to share my story.  But there are over 12,000 that will hear those words “you have cervical cancer” this year, and over 4,000 will NOT be here to blog about their stories. That is why I do what I do, and ask you to do the same. Share this information with a woman you love.  Be part of preventing a cancer.  Help me SAVE THE HOOCH!  And rock on and on.

Editor’s Note: Guest blogger Christine Baze is a musician, cervical cancer prevention advocate and founder of YellowUmbrella.org.

Cervical cancer has become the ultimate preventable cancer success story. The Pap test, developed in the late 1920s and first widely used in the 1940s, was adopted as an essential screening tool for early detection and treatment, and in turn lowered the cervical cancer mortality rate by over 70%. More recently, another leap in cervical cancer prevention was made possible with the development of the HPV vaccine.

The Prevent Cancer Foundation is proud to have played an important role in making cervical cancer preventable through funding cutting edge research, educating the public and supporting community outreach programs. Cervical cancer has always been a priority for the Foundation, having been among the first to fund the research of Dr. Anna R. Giuliano, which led to the development of the HPV vaccine. Among the many other cervical cancer researchers we have funded over the past 25 years, the Foundation recently provided a two year grant to Dr. Subhashini Jagu, whose research is focused on developing a low cost HPV vaccine for global use.

Women don’t have to die from cervical cancer, but unfortunately some still do. Cervical cancer remains a leading cause of death among women around the world. In the United States, Hispanic women currently have the highest risk of developing cervical cancer. In 1994, the Prevent Cancer Foundation in partnership with Georgetown University Hospital/Lombardi Cancer Center, the George Washington Cancer Center and the Spanish Catholic Center, created ¡Celebremos la Vida! (Let’s Celebrate Life!), a community outreach program dedicated to providing culturally appropriate cancer-related services to medically underserved Hispanic women. ¡Celebremos! offers both breast and cervical cancer education and screening – providing well over 6,000 Pap tests since its inception. The program also works to ensure that women who need additional medical care are able to receive it, regardless of their financial status. The Foundation also supports Con Amor Aprendemos (With Love We Learn), a community program that works to directly reduce HPV-related diseases in the Hispanic community in Atlanta, Ga. In the area of public education, the Foundation launched the “Confess! Cervical Cancer Awareness Campaign”  to educate all young women about early detection and prevention of cervical cancer. The interactive Web site is designed to increase awareness and encourages women to pledge to get screened for cervical cancer.

We want all women to take advantage of the advancements made in cervical health. Pap tests are essential every two to three years if you are over 21 years old, and the HPV vaccine is highly recommended if you are between 9 and 26 years old. I strongly urge every woman to learn the facts about cervical cancer and talk to her health care professional.

On behalf of the Prevent Cancer Foundation, I wish you a happy – and healthy – 2011!

Incidence of anal cancer in the United States is low, but rising. This year, there have been about 5,300 new cases and about 700 deaths. Last year, anal cancer took the life of actress Farrah Fawcett.

The vaccine prevents several strains of HPV, a virus which causes about nine out of every 10 cases of anal cancer, as well as cervical and vaginal cancer in women.

There are no standardized screening recommendations for anal cancer for the general population.  Approval of the vaccine provides health care professionals with an important tool in prevention of anal cancer.  Visit www.preventcancer.org for more information about HPV and cancer prevention.

 In 1991, I was a young scientist who received my first research grant from the Prevent Cancer Foundation for my study of the human papillomavirus (HPV).  This award enabled me to establish the methodology for measuring the HPV DNA infection.  The lessons learned gave me the ability to propose and develop the trials of the first FDA-approved vaccine against HPV, the one you’ve heard so much about in the news.

Cervical cancer was once one of the deadliest cancers affecting women in the United States, but today lives are saved because more women are routinely screened for cervical cancer.  Now we have a vaccine that can prevent up to 70 percent of cervical cancer cases and it is recommended for girls and women aged  9 to 26.

Read the entire article on the Prevent Cancer Foundation Web site.

 Editor’s Note: This post is  part of the 25th Anniversary Testimonials Initiative.