Oral Sex Turns Deadly

By Edward C. Geehr, M.D., Lifescript Chief Medical Officer

Despite a decline in most head and neck cancers during the past decade, the incidence of a particular form of throat cancer is rising steeply, according to a recent report in the British Medical Journal. 

The greatest concern? The type of cancer identified is related to the human papilloma virus (HPV). Researchers say that sexual transmission of HPV may explain the rise in cases. If that’s true, then add throat cancer – in addition to cervical cancer – as a potentially deadly consequence of HPV infection.

Yes, it’s true: Not all women need a Pap smear

By Dr. Diana Sarmiento, The Blogging Doc | Yahoo! SHE

If you’ve ever had a Pap smear, you know that the experience of lying on a cold examining bed half-naked can be very unpleasant.

With your genital area exposed, a doctor inserts an instrument called a speculum in your vagina and scrapes off some cells from the cervix. These cells are sent to the laboratory to screen for the earliest sign of cervical cancer, the third leading cause of death in women.

Introduced 60 years ago, the Pap smear remains the mainstay when it comes to the early diagnosis of the disease.

If you are one of those women who have been putting off your doctor's visit because you dread the pap smear, the October 17, 2011 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that women younger than 20 and older than 65 do not need a Pap smear.

A review of multiple studies and trials showed that there is no improvement in detecting cervical cancer for the mentioned age groups. In addition, the incidence of cancer in women under 20 is rare.