Cervical Cancer Awareness Month 2014

Cervical Cancer Awareness Month is commemorated annually in September to encourage women to go for screening that can prevent the cancer. The goal of screening for cervical cancer is to find changes in the cells of the cervix or mouth of the womb and early cervical cancers before they cause symptoms.

According to Cansa, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among South African women and the leading cancer among black South African women - 1 in 39 women in South Africa will be diagnosed with cervical cancer (NCR 2005).

Screening for cervical cancer involves having regular Pap smears, which can detect abnormal cells in the cervix, that could develop into cervical cancer. Cansa encourages all women to go for Pap smears at least every three years, from the age of 25, to detect abnormal cells early.

Source: http://www.gov.za/events/view.php?sid=42297