More Americans Urged to Get Cancer Screenings

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Maybe someone should be honest about the FACT that pap smears have not been PROVEN effective either (high failure rate, rare cancer, risks of treatments)
Your article states 'Screening for other cancers, such as ovarian, bladder or pancreatic cancer, has not been proven effective.
"We don't have effective screening tests for those cancers, and we don't know whether early diagnosis truly is beneficial, and we don't know if there is a favorable balance of benefits to harms," Smith said.'
We DO know that there is NOT a favorable balance of benefits to harms of pap smears - many other countries do them less often/not at all/age range differences.
The 'minor' treatments cause fertility issues as well as birthing problems and often other physical sexual issues for women.
Please tell the TRUTH and let women CHOOSE for themselves if the benefits are worth the risks.
http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/unnecessary-pap-smears

Suze of FL 11:57PM January 26, 2011

Screening is important for finding cancers when they are small and more treatable.
Making an effort to reduce risk for cancer by living healthfully is also important. Some cancers can be prevented with simple lifestyle factors such as getting regular exercise, keeping weight under control, and eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
For more information about reducing breast cancer risk and recurrence: www.ReduceBreastCancerRisk.com

Carol of DC 11:28AM January 16, 2009