The Gynecologic Cancer Foundation and The National Alliance for Hispanic Health Launch the Hispanic National Cervical Cancer Public Education Campaign
Posted on: Thursday, 11 May 2006, 09:09 CDT
CHICAGO, May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to bring lifesaving cervical cancer information to Hispanic communities, the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation's (GCF) and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health (NAHH) today announced the launch of the Hispanic National Cervical Cancer Public Education Campaign.
In 2006, 9,710 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer. Of this, close to 3700 women will die of this disease. But the reality is ... no woman should ever die of cervical cancer because with early detection, cervical cancer is curable.
An even more sobering fact, Hispanic women are the highest at-risk population for contracting cervical cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute SEER Data, 15.8 percent of Hispanic women were diagnosed with the disease compared with 8.7% of Caucasian women during the same period. To help narrow this gap, GCF and the NAHH have designed this campaign to make Hispanic women aware of cervical cancer prevention, and early detection through regular screening.
"Education is the key to fighting cervical cancer," stated GCF member, Hector Tarraza, MD. "By launching this campaign, we hope to meet a critical need in educating this at-risk population."
"We are pleased to partner with GCF on this important initiative," stated Jane Delgado, PhD, president and CEO of NAHH. "This partnership will allow us to educate more Hispanic women about proper screening and prevention measures."
Almost all cervical cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a common sexually transmitted virus and most women never even know that they have it. Almost all women will have HPV at some point, but very few will develop cervical cancer. Most HPV infections are temporary and will go away on their own. An HPV infection that does not go away over a period of years might lead to cervical cancer.
Regular screening is the best defense against cervical cancer. Women should be screened for cervical cancer about three years after they start having sexual intercourse, but no later than by the time a woman is 21 years old.
If you would like to speak with either Dr. Tarraza or Dr. Delgado, please call Marsha Wilson at 301/332-0117 to schedule an interview.
For more information about this campaign, please visit http://www.cervicalcancercampaign.org/ .
About the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation
The Gynecologic Cancer Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable organization established by the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists in 1991 to support research related to gynecologic cancers, to fund training of clinician scientists, and to increase public awareness and information related to gynecologic cancers and their precursors. The mission of the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (GCF) is to ensure public awareness of gynecologic cancer prevention, early diagnosis and proper treatment. GCF advances this mission by increasing public and private funds that aid in the development and implementation of programs to meet these goals. GCF was named by Worth Magazine as one of "America's 100 Best Charities." Of the 26 health organizations listed, GCF was one of only two organizations solely focused on women's health. For more information, please visit http://www.thegcf.org/ or call 800/444-4441.
About the National Alliance for Hispanic Health
The mission of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health (the Alliance) is to improve the health and well-being of Hispanics. Founded in 1973, the Alliance is the nation's oldest and largest network of Hispanic health and human service providers. Alliance members deliver quality services to over 13 million persons annually. As the nation's action forum for Hispanic health and well-being, the programs of the Alliance strive to: Inform and mobilize consumers; Support health care providers in the delivery of quality care; Promote appropriate use of technology; Improve the science base for accurate decision-making; and, Promote philanthropy among Hispanic communities. For more information, visit the Alliance's website ( http://www.hispanichealth.org/ ) or call 1-866-SU-FAMILIA (1-866-783-2645).
Contact: Marsha Wilson
301/332-0117 Cell
Gynecologic Cancer Foundation
CONTACT: Marsha Wilson of Gynecologic Cancer Foundation, Cell,+1-301-332-0117
Web site: http://www.thegcf.org/http://www.cervicalcancercampaign.org/http://www.hispanichealth.org/
Source: PRNewswire
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