January 17, 2007

LANSING - Lt. Governor John D. Cherry, Jr., state health officials, and members of Governor Granholm's task force on cervical cancer today announced new recommendations to reduce cervical cancer in Michigan.  Lt. Governor Cherry also announced the launch of an educational initiative sponsored by the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA).
 
The recommendations - contained in the Governor's Task Force on Cervical Cancer Report - outline key strategies the state of Michigan, health care providers, cancer prevention advocacy groups, and others will use to improve public awareness and reduce cervical cancer rates statewide.
 
"The task force has clearly outlined a comprehensive blueprint that will allow us to significantly reduce the incidence of cervical cancer over the long term," said Janet Olszewski, director of the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH).  "We believe embracing the recommendations contained in the report will help to prevent cervical cancer and save thousands of lives that are ended needlessly by this disease."
 
In creating the Cervical Cancer Task Force (CCTF), Governor Granholm charged them with identifying ways to increase public awareness and reduce cervical cancer incidence and mortality for Michigan women through policies that promote primary and secondary prevention.
 
Recommendations of the task force include:

-  The Michigan Department of Community Health should develop strategies in concert with the Michigan Cancer Consortium's Cervical Cancer Advisory Committee to reduce health disparities related to cervical cancer.

-  MDCH should develop a plan within the state's Medicaid program to increase pap testing rates among enrollees.

-  Michigan should require that all publicly funded programs adopt national recommendations for the HPV vaccine.

-  Michigan should take steps to increase awareness of the risks associated with cervical cancer.

  The task force was composed of representatives of the American Cancer Society, health care providers, state government officials, legislators and others. 

In response to the call for increased awareness, Michigan has recognized January as Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.

Lt. Governor John D. Cherry Jr. also announced today that the National Lieutenant Governors Association has selected cervical cancer awareness as their public issue campaign for 2007.  The program, "Ending Cervical Cancer in Our Lifetime," will make thousands of free educational packets available to help Michigan citizens better understand the risks associated with cervical cancer.
 
"The National Lieutenant Governors Association is working to "End Cervical Cancer in our lifetime," Cherry said.  "Cervical cancer is almost 100 percent preventable.  Increased public understanding about how the disease develops, how it is detected, and how it can be treated gives us a real opportunity to end cervical cancer."
 
The educational packets - which include an information brochure from the NLGA, fact sheets about cervical cancer, and a beading kit to construct awareness bracelets - are available by calling 1-800-353-8227 or by visiting www.healthymichigan.com and clicking on the cancer icon.  Because Michigan is limited to 8,000 packets, there is a limit of 10 packets per request.   
 
Cervical cancer is a disease that strikes hundreds of Michigan women each year.  The primary cause of cervical cancer is the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States.  It can be detected even before the cancer develops through a Pap test, which is an important part of a woman's routine health care. 

"Regular Pap testing is the key to preventing deaths from cervical cancer," said Dr. Kimberlydawn Wisdom, Michigan's surgeon general.  "It is important that women receive regular Pap tests because cervical cancer often has no symptoms."
 
Regular testing is critical because most cervical cancers are slow-growing and develop over a long period of time.  During this time, abnormal cervical tissue can be detected easily by a Pap test and then removed by a health care provider before the abnormal tissue develops into cancer.  Early detection and treatment of cervical abnormalities improve chances that the treatment will be successful.
 
In June 2006, the FDA approved a vaccine that prevents against two strains of HPV that are responsible for 70 percent of all cervical cancers.  This vaccine is recommended for females age 9 to 26.
 
"Although the HPV vaccine protects against the two HPV strains that are responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancer, women still need regular Pap testing, even if they received the HPV vaccine," said Carolyn Johnston, M.D., chair of the Michigan Cancer Consortium's Cervical Cancer Advisory Committee.
 
Women ages 40 to 64 who are uninsured or underinsured and whose incomes are at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level may be eligible to obtain free Pap tests through the Michigan Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP). 
 
For more information on the BCCCP or to locate the nearest BCCCP screening site, call 1-800-922-6266 or visit www.michigancancer.org/bcccp.