Cervical Cancer-Free South Carolina to hold summit January 7-8, 2016 in Greenville

Cervical Cancer-Free South Carolina will hold its second statewide summit to address cervical cancer and human papillomavirus (HPV)-related issues January 7-8 at the Hyatt Regency in Greenville.

 

The summit, which brings together more than 80 health care providers, researchers, and community advocates, will feature sessions on cervical cancer screening, eliminating disparities in cervical cancer, the role of the HPV vaccine in preventing cervical cancer, and advocacy and education.

 

“HPV, which can be prevented with a vaccine in childhood, is a leading cause of cervical cancer and other cancers in adults,” said Dr. Donald W. Wiper III, chairman of the Greenville Health System’s department of obstetrics and gynecology. “In spite of the alarming statistics and the availability of a preventative and safe vaccine, South Carolinians have been hesitant to get vaccinations for themselves or their children. HPV vaccination in South Carolina lags behind the United States overall. Fewer than 50 percent of girls and less than 20 percent of boys in South Carolina have received the three doses necessary to fully protect against this cancer causing virus. It’s my hope that summits like this and community outreach will raise awareness about these cancers and the vaccine that can stop them.”

 

The opening day of the summit will include a screening of the nationally acclaimed documentary film “Someone You Love: The HPV Epidemic,” followed by keynote speaker Tamika Felder, one of five women featured in the film and founder of the national patient advocacy group Cervivor.  Jennifer Smith, Ph.D., founder of the Cervical Cancer-Free Coalition and professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, will deliver the closing address at the conference.

 

Heather Brandt, Ph.D., a faculty member in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina and co-chair of Cervical Cancer-Free South Carolina, emphasized the summit’s role in bringing together a diverse audience of stakeholders.

“The issues of cervical cancer and human papillomavirus affect everyone – women, men and children and people of all races and ethnicities and backgrounds,” said Brandt. “We can prevent cervical cancer, and there is interest in South Carolina in accelerating our progress through education and innovation. This conference plays an important role in bringing together a very diverse group of committed professionals, survivors, and advocates to collaborate and address the many issues and strategies needed to prevent this disease.”

 

An associate professor and gynecologic oncologist at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Cervical Cancer-Free South Carolina co-chair Jennifer Young Pierce, M.D., M.P.H., added, “Cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases continue to affect many in our state, and we know we can prevent this. This is an exciting opportunity to have so many of the public health, research, clinical and advocacy leaders from across our state come together to discuss what we can do to prevent HPV and cervical cancer.”

 

Pierce noted that steady increases have been seen in vaccination rates and other statewide collaborations to improve screening and treatment of cervical cancer since the 2014 summit, adding that organizers expect to see continued momentum from this event.
Facts about cervical cancer and other HPV-associated cancers in South Carolina:

• According to the CDC, HPV causes more than 20,000 cancers in women and about 12,000 cancers in men annually in the United States.
• Each year in South Carolina, it is estimated that 170 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and 75 women will die from the disease.
• The cervical cancer death rate is more than two times higher in black women (5.5 per 100,000) as compared to white women (1.8 per 100,000).
• South Carolina ranks 18th in new cases of cervical cancer and 11th in cervical cancer deaths in the United States (http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/cervical/statistics/state.htm)
• HPV-associated cancers, including cervical, oropharyngeal, and other anogenital cancers (anal, penile, vaginal, vulvar), affect men and women. South Carolina ranks among the highest states in the United States when examining HPV-associated oral cancer in males and females.  (http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/hpv/statistics/state/oropharyngeal.htm)
• In addition to cancer, HPV also leads to pre-cancerous conditions, such as causing abnormal pap tests. Millions of women each year have abnormal pap test results indicative of the presence of HPV.
• For more information about HPV and cervical cancer, visit http://www.cdc.gov/hpv/.

Facts about adolescent vaccination in South Carolina:

• HPV vaccination in South Carolina lags behind the United States overall. Half of South Carolina females ages 13-17 years still have not received all HPV vaccine doses to help with the prevention of cervical cancer. Eight out of 10 South Carolina males ages 13-17 years have not received the HPV vaccine.
• The differences in coverage rates between the adolescent vaccinations of Tdap (Tetanus, Diptheria, Pertussis) and Meningococcal (meningitis) as compared to HPV show opportunities are being missed to vaccinate boys and girls, leaving them at greater risk of HPV infections that can lead to cancer.

 

Cervical Cancer-Free South Carolina is a member state of the Cervical Cancer-Free Coalition focused on eliminating cervical cancer through screening, follow-up care, vaccination, and education.  Cervical Cancer-Free South Carolina consists of individual and organizational partners committed to increasing participation in cervical cancer screening; increasing adherence to follow-up care of abnormal screening results; increasing rates of HPV vaccination; and seeking additional funding to support cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination in South Carolina.

Signature sponsors for the summit include the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, the MUSC Department of Gynecology and General Obstetrics, and Greenville Health System. Other sponsors include South Carolina Cancer Alliance, Cervivor, South Carolina Cervical Cancer Awareness Initiative, South Carolina Coalition for Healthy Families, the American Cancer Society, the College of Charleston Women’s Health Research Team, the USC Cancer Prevention & Control Program, National Cervical Cancer Coalition, Clemson University and the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

 

For more information on the Cervical Cancer-Free Summit, visit http://hcc.musc.edu/research/conferences/CervicalCancerFreeSC/index.htm.