New test can help ensure cervical health

Angelique Flores

FOUNTAIN VALLEY -- This month has been nationally designated as Cervical

Health Awareness Month.

“Women seem to be more aware of breast cancer than cervical cancer,” said

Dr. Gerardo Bustillo, of Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center.

Cervical Cancer is the ninth most deadly cancer in the United States and

accounts for about 6% of all cancers in women. Last year, about 15,000

women were diagnosed with the cancer and about 5,000 women died from the

disease. These numbers have dropped from 1998, when 16,000 women had the

cancer and 5,200 died from it.

“It’s not a big deal now to treat cervical problems. What’s important is

to diagnose,” Bustillo said.This local doctor is one of few doctors who

use the new PapSure in combination with the standard Pap smear, which

detects problems in the cervix. According the American College of

Obstetrics and Gynecology, the pap smear has 51% accuracy. PapSure, a

simple procedure that is done after a pap smear, can raise the rate of

detection to 90%.

“Instead of having just one piece of information, we have two,” Bustillo

said.

However, the PapSure is so sensitive to potential problems that it can

sometimes indicate there’s a problem when there isn’t one.

“It may potentially worry a patient unnecessarily, but it’s worth it,”

Bustillo said.

Most insurance will not cover the cost of the test, which is barely a

year old and still largely unknown to the general public. Doctors must

charge patients an additional $25 to have the test done.

Another new test is the ThinPrep, which is similar to a regular pap smear

test. And like the PapSure, ThinPrep may not be covered by some insurance

and could cost the patient another $25 to $30.

All women over the age of 18 are encouraged to have a pap smear every

year.

“The vast majority of problems we see of the cervix are treatable at

early stages and can be done in the office,” Bustillo said.