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In Illinois, 630 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer this year and 220 will die as a result, according to a state task force report.
Even though Illinois has one of the "best breast cancer and cervical cancer screening programs," according to Dr. Eric Whitaker, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Cervical Cancer Elimination task force study shows that low-income, middle- aged African-American and Hispanic women are most susceptible to the cancer.
Women in rural areas also are at a high risk.
The study identified Jo Daviess, Henderson, Pike, Crawford, Lawrence, Washington, Jefferson, Johnson and Pulaski counties as having high incidence rates. Edwards, Perry and Hardin counties have the highest mortality rates from cervical cancer, according to the study.
The task force, created in late 2004, is working to establish a group of experts to travel statewide to raise awareness among health- care providers and various community groups, Whitaker said at a news conference Tuesday at the Capitol.
The newly released study outlined recommendations to improve awareness and push health-care providers to inform patients about cervical cancer screenings.
"The reason that we focus on cervical cancer is not because it's the most common or because it's the most lethal cancer in women, but because it's so preventable," said Dr. Steward Massad, a gyno- oncologist and associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield.
The common detector of cervical cancer is through Pap smears, Massad said. And repeated screenings are highly effective.
Low-income, uninsured women can receive free Pap tests, as well as mammograms, breast exams and pelvic exams through the state's Breast and Cervical Cancer program, which is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state's Department of Public Health.
The human papillomavirus, or HPV, the most common sexually transmitted disease, is the leading cause of cervical cancer.
Dr. Stacie Geller, associate professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said the task force is trying to promote routine Pap smears for women beyond their reproductive age and make sure there are adequate providers and facilities in the targeted areas.
"Some women have to drive two hours each way to be able to get a Pap smear because there's no accessible facility that they can afford that's near to them," Geller said.
The report is posted on the state's public health Web site, www.idph.state.il.us.
(C) 2006 The State Journal-Register Springfield, IL. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved
