Are you interested in helping spread awareness of cervical cancer screening importance?

Support Access to Lifesaving Cervical Cancer Screenings

Must be either: a cancer survivor, healthcare professional, someone that experienced a Pap test/cancer scare, or a caregiver.

Cervical cancer was once the leading cause of cancer related deaths in women. It is now the fifteenth most frequent cause of cancer related deaths. Due to the introduction of the Pap test over 80 years ago, it has fallen by more than 70 percent. Today both the Pap and HPV test together play an important role in helping to save women’s lives. However, recent studies show that cervical cancer rates are increasing again, including sharp rises in younger women, and more broadly in all women under the age of 50.

Pap + HPV together (co-testing) is the most widely adopted and proven screening option. Detecting 95% of all cervical cancers. Whereas, HPV-alone screening misses 1 in 5 cervical cancers. New guideline changes could limit a women's access Pap+ HPV together (co-testing) for cervical cancer, putting women at greater risk.

We’re looking for individuals to create social posts to help protect access to the Pap test and Pap + HPV together (co-testing). We need to encourage women to contact their elected official to support keeping the current life-saving Pap test and Pap + HPV together (co-testing) in guidelines.

Creative Direction

If you support protecting women’s cervical health, we need your help to defend access to the life-saving Pap test and Pap+ HPV together (co-testing) by calling your followers to contact elected officials to protect all screening options for cervical cancer. In your own words, help your followers understand the implications of guidelines changes and why they need to take action, informed by the following facts:

Cervical Cancer Incidence
Since the introduction of the Pap test over 80 years ago, cervical cancer rates steadily declined for decades, saving countless women’s lives. However, cervical cancer rates are now increasing among women under 50 years old, including a sharp rise among women ages 25-29. It is estimated there will be more than 14,000 new cases diagnosed just this year in the U.S., and more than 4,000 total deaths. These are tragic totals for a cancer that is preventable through regular screening.

Importance of Pap + HPV Together (Co-Testing) and Screening Ages
Screening with Pap + HPV together (co-testing) remains the most effective strategy for detecting cervical cancer. You get the benefit of both tests from just one sample.

Raising the age of initial screening from 21 to 25 will result in increased cervical cancer in younger women and worsen the already high rates of underscreening in patients under 30.

Screening Disparities among Black and Hispanic Women
Racial disparities significantly affect the impact of cervical cancer on Black and Hispanic women. Black women are more than twice as likely to die of cervical cancer compared to white women. Also, because of barriers that often prevent adherence to screening, Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer than any other racial group. Hispanic women are 30 percent more likely to die from cervical cancer and have a 49 percent higher rate of cervical cancer compared to white women.

What Women Can Do: Make your voice heard by telling your legislator how these changes will harm your health and put women at greater risk of cervical cancer. Click here to urge your member of Congress to protect your access to screening and save more women’s lives.