Women who get regular pap smears are more more likely to survive
cervical cancer, MedPage Today reported March 2. Women whose
cancer was detected from pap screenings were 26 percent more
likely to be cured of the disease than women who were diagnosed
once they became symptomatic, Bengt Andrae, M.D., of Uppsala
University in Sweden, and her colleagues find. Further, women
whose cervical cancer was discovered via symptoms but who had
followed their recommended pap-smear schedule had a 14-percent
higher cure rate than women who did not get regular pap smears.
Cervical-cancer screenings can help doctors detect invasive
cancers at early stages, and help doctors find and remove
precancerous lesions before they develop into full-blown cancer,
the study authors say. Women should get their first pap smear at
age 21 and follow-ups every two years, according to the National
Institutes of Health. The study appears online in the British
Medical Journal. Reader Question: Do you get regular cervical
cancer screenings?