TeachableMedicalNews article 08122021
Teachable moment in classrooms:
- cellular basis of life chapter – mitosis, cell cycle controls to limit cell division
- reproductive system chapter – anatomy of the female reproductive system
- tissues chapter – epithelium that lines the female reproductive system
- microbiology – human papilloma viruses
The news item: Recently the following report about cervical cancer testing appeared:
Are Pap smears ‘obsolete’? There’s a better option for cervical cancer screening, American Cancer Society says
The American Cancer Society released new guidelines on cervical cancer screenings Thursday, recommending that people with a cervix start testing at age 25.
The article describes the debate whether the HPV test could replace the Pap smear test. The article states that despite the Pap smear testing, there are over 13,000 new cervical cancer cases per year, and there are over 4,000 deaths. The article also states that the HPV test is screening for human papilloma virus, and the Pap test is screening for cancerous cells.
So, Why Do I Care?? Cervical cancer is a deadly cancer, as the article stated from a yearly 13,000 new diagnoses there are over 4,000 deaths. While vaccination has been available against cervical cancer, a better diagnostic method is still needed until everyone is vaccinated.
Plain English, Please!!!
First, let’s talk about what cervical cancer is. The narrow, tube-shaped part of the uterus, the cervix, opens into the vagina. The cervix has a thin lining epithelium, and that cell layer is where cancerous