Cancer Prevention and Control at the West Virginia University Cancer Institute is raising awareness about cervical cancer and how to prevent it through a documentary titled “SOMEONE YOU LOVE: THE HPV EPIDEMIC.”
The WVU Campus and Morgantown community are invited to a free showing of the documentary on Wednesday, February 1 at 11 a.m. in Gluck Theatre at the Mountainlair.
The special showing coincides with Cervical Cancer Awareness Month and is in honor of World Cancer Day.
The film takes a look into the lives of five women affected by the human papillomavirus, the widely misunderstood and controversial virus that causes several types of cancer, including cervical.
Representatives from Cancer Prevention and Control, the West Virginia Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program, WVU Student Health, the West Virginia Immunization Network and others will be on hand to answer questions about the link between HPV and cervical cancer and share information on ways to reduce the risk of the disease.
West Virginia has one of the highest rates of cervical cancer in the nation. An estimated 37 West Virginia women lost their lives to the disease in 2016. Almost all cervical cancer cases are caused by HPV.
“There is no reason anyone should die from cervical cancer,” Mohammed Ashraf, MD, a gynecological oncologist at the WVU Cancer Institute, said. “Cervical cancer is highly preventable and treatable, if detected early. Women can reduce their risk of developing this disease by having regular Pap tests at last every three years, starting at age 21, and by getting the HPV vaccine, which is recommended for women between ages 9 and 26.”
The HPV vaccine is also recommended for males between ages 9 and 21, because they may also develop certain types of cancer related to HPV.
Ashraf says everyone, from students in public schools and universities, to parents and healthcare providers, need to be educated on how the HPV vaccine can prevent cervical cancer.
He also advises women not to smoke because that is a risk factor for cervical cancer, and to consult their physicians to learn about other risks for the disease.
Continuing education credits are available for physicians, pharmacists and nurses who attend the showing. For more information, contact Dannell Boatman at dboatman@hsc.wvu.edu or Shelly Dusic at SDUSIC@hsc.wvu.edu, or call 304.293.2370.
For information about the WVU Cancer Institute, see wvucancer.org.
-WVU-
sls/01/26/2017
CONTACT: Sherry Stoneking,Public Relations Manager, WVU Cancer Institute 304.293.4599; sstoneking@hsc.wvu.edu
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