The Wingham Advance-Times, 1983-03-30, Page 41Executive members of the Goderich Branch of the Canadian Cancer Society are, left to
right, Zella Crawford, commemoration; Fordyce, Clark, transportation and Olive Knisley,
service to patients. Absent for photo were Angus MacLennan, president, Robert McCall,
vice-president, Marj Brown, secretary, Eugene Bender, treasurer, Grace Hunter, planning,
development and nomination, Hazel McCreath, publicity and Phyllis Pitblado, mastectomy
visiting. (Photo by Joanne Buchanan)
The Pap Test:
It's simple yet important
The uterus, or womb, is a
small, pear-shaped organ
located m a woman's pelvis.
It has two parts; the uterus
itself, and the neck of the
uterus, or the cervix.
The test for changes in the
cervix or neck of the womb
which can tell if a pre-
cancerous or cancerous con-
dition exists is known as the
`Pr`st' or the 'Pap
smear'. It is now part of the
standard gynecological ex-
am. This simple yet very im-
portant test is painless and
can be carried out in your
doctor's office in a matter of
minutes. If you are- sexually
active or are over 18 years of
age, discuss with your doctor
how often you should have
the test, since this May vary
according to age and certain
other risk factors. However,
it should be done regularly.
HOW IS IT DONE?
Cells are gently taken
from the surface of the cer-
vix and placed on a glass
slide which is sent to a
laboratory. The cells are
then examined under a
microscope. In most women,
these cells are absolutely
normal. In a very few - about
6 out of every thousand - the
cells do not look normal.
When this occurs the test is
repeated and, if necessary,
further examinations made.
THEN WHAT?
Even if further investiga-
tion or treatment is re-
quired, the Pap test enables
doctors to discover cancer,
or pre -cancerous changes,
early so that the chances for
a complete cure are greatly
increased. If any abnormali-
ty is found, some additional
procedures may be done by
your doctor.
A very common diagnostic
procedure is a biopsy, where
a small piece of tissue is
removed and examined
under a microscope. In a
"cone -biopsy," the doctor
removes a cone-shaped
piece of the cervix which
may not only be helpful in
diagnosis, but also as treat-..
ment. Another simple
diagnostic procedure is a
"colposcopy," which is done
in much the same way as a
Pap test. The doctor uses a
special microscope to ex-
amine the tissues of the cer-
vix and vagina.
If abnormal cells are
found, one simple treatment
is "cryotherapy," a pro-
cedure which `freeze -burns'
away the abnormal cells and
is often done in a special
clinic. It is unlikely to have
any effect on a woman's fer-
tility or future child bearing.
Another simple treatment is
"laser cautery," where a
very fine, precise beam of
focused light vaporizes pre-
cancerous cells on the cervix
or vagina.
GOOD ADVICE
If you are told that your
test is normal, you will
naturally feel very happy.
Remember though that the
preservation of good health
requires that the test should
be repeated regularly. You
should also remain alert to
any unusual symptoms such
as spotting after intercourse,
or bleeding after the
menopause. You should see
your doctor at the first sign
of anything abnormal. Keep
in mind that though the Pap
test is very successful in
detecting cervical cancer,
which is found in the neck of
the womb, it isn't as effec-
tive in detecting the other
major form of uterine -
cancer, endometrial cancer.
This is a type of cancer found
in the lining of the uterus
which . is called the en-
dometrium. Here, the repor-
ting of any abnormality and
regular gynecological ex-
ams will help in the early
detection and treatment.
HAS THE PAP
- TEST HELPED?
The mortality rate from
cancer of the cervix was
generally on the increase un-
til the early 1950's. That's
when the Pap test was in-
troduced to Canadians on a
large scale by the Canadian
Cancer Society. Since then
there has been a significant
decline in the death rate
from cervical cancer. One of
the most important reasons
is early treatment as a result
of the Pap test.
To..ay's cancer research...
® from page 8
surgery, radiation and drugs
(chemotherapy). Canadian
researchers have made an
outstanding contribution to
cancer treatment by the
development of the Cobalt
bomb (an instrument used to
radiate and destroy cancer
cells). Radiation works best
to destroy cells when they
have ample access to ox-
ygen. Unfortunately, central
parts of tumors often have
limited access to oxygen and
maybe less affected by
radation. Now being studied
are certain chemicals called
radiation sensitizers which
are able to penetrate the
center of tumors and
substitute for oxygen, thus
increasing the effect of
radiation.
Concentrating radiation on
the tumor and sparing sur-
rounding normal cells is a
primary goal in radiation
therapy. A new facility at the
University of British Colum-
bia called TRIUMF, Tri -
University Meson Facility,
generates subatomic par-
ticles called pi -mesons. Pi-
mesons can deposit energy
(radiation) deep inside the
body, striking a tumor with
minimal damage to the nor-
mal cells surrounding it and
along the directed path of the
pi -mesons. This facility is
one of the only three in the
world. The preliminary
studies are nearly finished
and after further research, it
is expected that the ex-
perimental treatment of pa-
tients will begin.
Tumors may spread to
other locations by cancer
cells breaking away from
the main tumor and
migrating to other parts of
the body. Chemotherapy of-
fers one method for the
treatment of widely spread
cancer. Chemical coin
pounds are introduced into
the body and find their way
into most of the body tissues.
These drugs are chosen and
used in a manner planned to
be more destructive of
cancer cells than normal
cells. Canadian scientists
contributed to the develop-
ment of a drug called Vin-
caleukablastin (VLB) which
is one of the few drugs which
have been successfully used
to treat cancer. New drugs
are constantly being
developed. Their method of
action and usefulness in
treatment of cancer are im-
portant parts of cancer
research.
The study of genes
In recent years, many
scientists have also been stu-
dying the genetic make-up of
cells in relation to cancer.
Endometrial cancer is curable
The middle years are the
time in a woman's life when
she becomes increasingly
vulnerable to cancer of the
endometrium, or en-
dometrial cancer. Briefly,
cancer is a disease in which
abnormal cells in some
organ or tissue grow out of
control and increase in
number. They replace or
destroy the normal tissues
around them and may
spread to distant organs. In
endometrial cancer, the ab-
normal cells originate in the
endometrium or lining of the
womb.
Fortunately, endometrial
cancer is curable, if detected
early. There are two ways in
which you can protect
yourself against this disease.
Learn to recognize the early
warning signs your body
may give you and, most im-
portantly, insist on having
regular gynecological ex-
aminations.
Sometimes, the signs of
endometrial cancer can be
confused with the effects of
menopause, the time when
menstruation normally
stops. Menopause usually oc-
curs between the ages of 40
and 50. Periods may become
gradually shorter and fur-
ther apart or they may stop
abruptly. There should be no
irregular bleeding between
periods. Once you have gone
for a full year without a
period, you will know that
menopause has occurred.
After that, there should
never again be any vaginal
bleeding. If you experience
irregular bleeding before or
during the menopause, or
any bleeding at all after the
menopause, it is a sign that
you should consult your
physician immediately.
There is a good chance that
this may be caused by
something other than
cancer, such as uterine
fibroids — benign growths in
the wall of the womb — but it
could be endometrial
cancer. In either case, early
treatment will benefit your
overall health and well-
being.
Of course, some women
develop endometrial cancer
without showing any symp-
toms at all. This is why
regular gynecological ex-
aminations are vital. If en-
dometrial cancer is
suspected, your doctor may
perform an aspiration curet-
tage. This is a painless pro-
cess which can be done in the
doctor's office. A suction
device is used to remove
sample tissues from your
womb for microscopic ex-
amination. In some cases
your doctor may suggest
Turn to page 10 •
These studies of genes in-
clude not only the study of in-
heritance and hereditary
factors, but also new techni-
ques of genetic engineering.
These new techniques allow
the isolation of human genes
for manipulation and study.
For example, human genes
for insulin and human
growth hormone have been
transferred to bacteria, in
order to produce large quan-
tities of human hormones for
our needs. Genes for in-
terferon are being
manipulated by similar
means and should, in the
future, result in the produc-
tion of sufficient human in-
terferon for detailed testing.
More general research is be-
ing performed to identify
genes and changes in genes
which may result in cancer.
Summary
Thus cancer research pro-
ceeds on a broad front —
epidemiology, the detection
of cancer related factors in
the environment, and
laboratory research into
Poll* 9
these factors and others
which affect the prevention,
detection and treatment of
cancer. No area operates
isolated from the other.
Together they co-operate to
provide an understanding of
how cancer occurs, how to
prevent such cancers in the
future and how to successful-
ly detect and treat those
which already exist or do oc-
cur. The research required
for the challenge of
eliminating cancer is expen-
sive. The Canadian Cancer
Society is the major source
of funds for cancer research
in Canada. Recently the
Terry Fox Marathon of Hope
has added a new dimension
to cancer research by enabl-
ing even more projects to be
funded. The volunteers of the
Canadian Cancer Society,
the doctors who treat cancer
and the researchers from the
sciences of epidemiology,
physics, chemistry and
biology continue to co-
operate in the march
towards solving the pro-
blems of cancer.
This information is brought to you with
the kind co-operation of the following:
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