News

Gynecologic cancers: diagnosis, treatment and prevention

Alaska Public Media | By Dr. Jay Butler

Published December 11, 2018 at 5:10 PM AKST

Gynecologic cancers include cancers originating in the cervix, ovaries, uterus, vagina, and vulva. These cancers are quite diverse. Cervical cancer has proven methods of screening for early diagnosis, successful and life-saving treatment options and is now a vaccine-preventable disease. Ovarian cancer has no known prevention strategies and no proven treatments. Line One Your Health Connection co-host Dr. Jay Butler speaks with Anchorage gynecologic oncologist Dr. Joanie Mayer-Hope of Alaska Women’s Cancer Care to discuss the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of gynecologic cancers. In addition to her work as a clinician, Dr. Mayer-Hope is President of Let Every Woman Know, as grass roots community organization that is focused on increasing awareness of gynecologic cancers. Dr Mayer-Hope breaks the silence and makes sure everyone is “aware of cancer down there” with her song writing and rock vocals with the NED (No Evidence of Disease) Band.

HOST: Jay Butler, MD

GUEST: Dr. Joanie Mayer-Hope

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNSYmhOSQT8
LINKS:

A great place to learn some of the basic information about gynecologic cancers are in the links available through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC)Inside Knowledge website.

The Alaska Division of Public Health reports that 246 Alaskan women were diagnosed with cervical cancer between 2004 and 2013 and 65 died from cervical cancer. The full report with recommendations for screening and rates of cervical cancer screening among women in Alaska can be downloaded here.

Information on Alaska Women’s Cancer Care.

You can learn more about The NED Band and purchase their music here.

Let Every Woman Know is promotes awareness and education about gynecologic cancers in Alaska through media and community events. Learn more about these events and the work of Let Every Woman Know here.

The December 7, 2018 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report leads with a paper on uterine cancer, one of the few cancers with increasing incidence and death rates in the United States. The full report is available here.