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More populary known as the AACR, the American Association for Cancer Research is the oldest intutition dedicated to furthering cancer knowledge, causes, treatment, prevention and cure. The AACR was founded in 1907 and now has more than 27,000 members spanning 80 countries.

Short history of the American Association for Cancer Research

Headquarters based at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the AACR was started by eleven physicians and scientists. Its motto states "Accelerates progress toward the prevention and cure of cancer by promoting research, education, communication and advocacy". Along with its six publications, the AACR has been able to provide roughly $23million to support various meritorous projects since 1993.

Current projects

Ongoing services of the Association include Cancer Survivors Network that allows survivors to offer support for cancer victims. Chatrooms and discussion boards are also in existence to allow people to meet more members of the Cancer Surivivors Network.

AACR is a brilliant institution created for the benefit of thousands of people worldwide. The impact it has on the people worlwide is not only evident but greatly effective, especially when it comes to the financial needs of the victim. However, perhaps the best thing about AACR is the fact that it allows victims to stregthen their menthal health through meetings with survivors. Either way, AACR has been and will continue to be a vital part of finally defeating cancer.

I have read a number of cancer-related articles last night and I was so pissed off with them. Some of them are about the latest technology that scientists have discovered to treat cancer. Treatments that are not one-hundred percent sure. For example, they discovered chemotherapy. In chemotherapy, anticancer drugs can destroy or kill cancer cells by interfering cell division. In that way, the growth of these cancerous cells can be stopped. However, most forms of chemotherapy target all rapidly dividing tissues and that includes the healthy cells. It is not specific only to the cancerous cells. Why can't they come up with a technology that will target only the cancerous cells and which is harmless to the healthy cells? Isn't that hard to do?

There are also different experiments that are being conducted right now for the different types of cancer. Different funding institutions assist them in their quest for the cure. But where are these money going to? Is the money not enough to sustain the study? Or maybe red tape is eating up the cancer research industry? As much as possible I do not want to question the financial aspect of this issue because it's very complicated, but I can't help it. I have this strange feeling that something wrong is going on.

Admittedly, being diagnosed with cancer is heart-breaking news for anyone, but most especially for women. Things can become even more complicated when a woman is pregnant, because not only is her own life at risk, her unborn child's life is also placed in peril.

Studies tend to indicate that the risk of breast cancer increases during pregnancy because the breasts undergo several changes such as expansion in size as well as retention of fluid. Lumps and other breast abnormalities may develop during this particular stage of the pregnancy. Many of these abnormalites are benign, meaning they are not necessarily cancerous, although doctors suggest that a pregnant woman submit herself to clinical breast examination, ideally before the physiological changes in her breasts begin.

This is not to say that a woman should not get pregnant though. One of the greatest joys in a woman's life is the ability to bear and eventually give birth to a new life. The risk of developing breast cancer during and even after pregnancy is not enough reason to stop entertaining thoughts of having a child. The risk may be there, but so is the fact that cancer may not develop at all, aside from the other reality that many advances in modern science today have allowed health professionals to successfully treat and control the incidence of breast cancer.

Cancer is a disease that has been known to afflict people from all walks of life. Certain forms of cancer are found exclusively on a specific class of people. For women, the most dreadful cancer disease is breast cancer. For the men, it is prostate cancer. For children, however, there is a special type of cancer that affects millions worldwide. It is called leukemia, and it is the most common type of cancer found among children living in industrialized countries. In Great Britain alone, it is estimated that 1 in every 200 children have leukemia.

Leukemia is known as cancer of the blood, specifically, of white blood cells, which are manufactured in abnormal forms and in great numbers such that they cannot perform the function of keeping the body safe from diseases. They tend to crowd together in the bone marrow area impeding the flow of blood. That is why leukemia is sometimes also known as cancer of the bone marrow.

Several factors account for many incidences of leukemia which include genetic cell mutation, exposure to radiation therapy to treat other cancer diseases, and the use of medicated drugs to improve the immune system especially after an organ transplant. However, no definite factor could be pinpointed as to why the disease often afflicts children. There is now a growing body of evidence linking environmental variables to the rise of leukemia cases in children.

Fortunately, children afflicted with leukemia stand very good chances of survival. With proper treatment, these children can lick the cancer without the hazards of leukemia ever coming back for a second round.

Who wouldn't feel relieved if one is able to finish his cancer treatment? For most cancer patients, a finished cancer treatment may be challenging and exciting. The feeling of relief is what is usually felt by ex-cancer patients, not to mention all the exhausting and costly demands of the treatments are all over. However, there are still patients who also get by with worry and sadness, since cancer might trigger back and also they also think about what to do with their life after a series of cancer treatments.

When a cancer treatment ends, most patients expect their lives to return just the way things were before they knew they had cancer. However, such expectation rarely happens to most ex-cancer patients. Permanent scars all over the body and being incapable of doing the things one usually do are the probable instances of life after the treatments. Also, others, or even yourself, would probably think of you as somehow different from what you were before. On the other hand, among the hardest part after a cancer treatment is when one feels lost and unable to decide what to do next with his life. Some doctors and specialists do not really explain or expound on the things a patient needs to expect after such treatments, so ex-cancer patients tend to expect good things that are actually surreal and unrealistic.

Hence, ending a cancer treatment does not mean it's the end of the battle. Ex-cancer patients need to adjust to the things that will require certain changes in lifestyle. What is considered normal in a life after the treatments may include the daily activities, sources of emotional support, as well as following healthy diets.

We may look different on the outside, but research at the University of Bergen showing that the pathways that lead to cancer are similar, means that we are all still the same. The study aimed to find out whether differences in life style, diet, or ethnic background could explains these variations.

The researchers compared patients in Norway and Sudan with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). They found that there are wide variations in the global incidence of HNSCC, which is a form of cancer that seems to be more common in developing countries than in our art of the world. They used cDNA micro-matrix studies to compare patterns of cancerous cells' gene expression and that of healthy cells. They did so to determine which genes had been switched on or off in the tumors. Looking at a total of 15,000 genes in each patient 136 genes are expressed differently in tumors and normal cells in Sudanese patients and 154 in Norwegian patients, and 73% of these genes are common to both groups.

But more importantly these genes are found in particular patterns that are related to cancer. They talk of biological pathways: particular genes that create a particular mechanism or lead to a given alteration in the cells. Just how cells divide is an example of a biological pathway, and alterations in individual pathways of this sort may lead to cancer. Three common pathways are found in cancer patients in Sudan and Norway and which appear to exist independently of the patients' background and life-style. This was the case when cancers have arisen where tissue has been in contact with chewing tobacco. Where these tumours occur in the mouth are different from one country to another which appear to be related to where users put the tobacco in their mouths.

The United Kingdom had a record of 1,777 people dying from skin cancer last year, and 1,002 those who died were men. Experts are saying men are less likely to check their moles than women, and the incidence of skin cancer among UK males has risen by 42% during the last decade. Diagnosis show that there more women who develop melanoma skin cancer than men. However, more men die because women are getting treatment early when the cancer is still in its first stage of development. It is known that the thicker a mole has become, the more likely it will be more difficult to treat successfully. The Cancer Research UK have said that most men only go to their doctors when the melanoma is already quite thick.

According to research, 60% of men never check their backs for new or changing moles and although one third of English men have experienced sunburn, a big 70% think they are not at risk of skin cancer. The earlier the skin cancer is detected, the patient's chances of survival are much better. It was observed that every twelve years the number of people getting skin cancer worldwide doubles due to over-exposure to sunlight which raises the risk of developing skin cancer.

By now, we must already know that smoking is truly bad for one's health. Not only for the smoker, but also to those who have the misfortune of inhaling the smoke that comes from the lighted cigar. Needless to say, if an adult is affect, how much more an infant? Therefore, parents who have just had a baby in the family should refrain from smoking, especially if the unattended helpless baby is in the surrounding areas.

A study has recently shown that the urine of several infants, whose parents smoked, contained some amount of cancer-related chemicals called carcinogens. This report is confirmed by Mr. Stephen Hecht. Mr. Hecht is an author of a professor working at the University of Minnesota. Also, Mr. Stephen Hecht is the Chair for Cancer Prevention at the Cancer Center of the said university.

According to reports, 144 infants were studied by Hecht and a few of his colleagues. Out of these babies, 47% of them has urine which contained very detectable levels of (methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL). It is believed by Stephen Hecht that when an infant is exposed to secondhand smoke, there is a great possibility that the child will develop lung cancer when he grows up into adulthood.

Susceptibility to cancer and other human diseases can be increased by genetic defects affecting the control of protein synthesis within cells. Also, defective protein production can occur in cells even when the genes controlling those proteins are normal. Experts attributed the protein defects to a critical glitch in the protein assembly line of ribosomes. Ribosomes, the protein factories of cells, use RNA to translate the DNA blueprint into functional proteins. A particular study focused on understanding control of ribosome activity and how disruptions in RNA translation predispose people to cancer.

The study shows that a gene mutation, Dkc1, that affects ribosome function underlie a progressive disease called dyskeratosis congenita. This involves abnormal bone marrow leading to anemia, severe immune deficiency and infections; increased risk of various cancers, including lymphoma; and, starting as early as age 10, skin abnormalities, nails and mucous membranes that resemble premature aging syndromes. There is a decrease in production of certain proteins due to a specific defect in RNA translation that depends on a sequence called internal ribosome entry site (IRES). This particular sequence occurs in only some of the messenger RNAs that translate the DNA code into proteins. Gene p27, which normally works to suppress tumors, governs one of these proteins with decreased levels. This may explain the increased tumor susceptibility seen in patients with dyskeratosis congenita. Scientists are seeing to apply their knowledge of protein synthesis control to the discovery of therapeutic agents that target the translational machinery in cancer cells and human disease.

You know how genes affect the characteristics of the body, right? Well, eye retinas are no different. Genes also determine the formation of retinas and this is the basis of investigators in finding a possible cure for eye cancer. At the research center of Saint Jude Children's Hospital, researchers are working on information to prevent a potentially deadly eye cancer called retinoblastoma from occuring. Retinoblastoma is one prevalent cancer disease in infants after leukemia and neuroblastoma (nerve cancer). Cancer spreads outside the eye and is among the deadliest childhood cancers, with an average survival rate of less than 10 percent.

The cancer study and all that transpired are a bit too technical, but apparently, the researchers found that humans are more susceptible to developing retinoblastoma than mice, because mice can compensate for loss of a gene critical to normal retinal development while humans cannot. They discovered that during retinal development in mice, three genes that belong to the Rb gene family are expressed at different times. This basically explains why humans are susceptible to retinoblastoma.

Since the eye is visible to researchers studying retinoblastoma, it's possible to watch a tumor grow from a single cell. This could tell which type of cell in the developing eye causes this cancer. Good thinking, eh? Surely, based on this discovery, the proper treatment or retinoblastoma drug would just be right around the corner.

Increase in mortality rates among colon cancer patients have been linked as many as 30 percent of patients with stage III colon cancer who were prescribed six months of chemotherapy with a combination of 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin stopping their treatment prematurely. Stopping chemotherapy for colon cancer prematurely is nearly tantamount to receiving no treatment at all. Apparently, most patients think that if they complete most of a treatment regimen, they should get most of the treatment benefit.

A study used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database to identify stage III colon cancer patients who were at least 65 years of age or older, and who received one to seven months of fluorouracil (FU)-based adjuvant chemotherapy treatment. Among the 1,579 patients who survived eight months or longer, the 1,091 (69.1 percent) who underwent five to seven months of treatment survived nearly twice as long as the 488 (30.9 percent) who received only one to four months of treatment.

A recently published study showed that African American women with early stage breast cancer were more likely than their counterparts of other races to abandon chemotherapy before completing their full course of treatment. The findings of the study shed new light on why African American breast cancer patients experience lower survival rates than other women, despite a lower incidence.

Every woman in the world should get a mammogram. You may think that it is not at all necessary, but it is very important for a woman. You do not have to get stressed out about this procedure. A mammogram is basically a low level of X-ray that is performed on women. Even if you think that you do not feel any of the breast cancer symptoms, it is still important to have a regular breast check-up. Hence, the mammography is always the best way to detect breast cancer.

It is said that the best way to survive breast cancer is through "early detection". If a woman finds out early on that she has developed breast cancer, doctors can do something about it. Of course, the woman can do so many things to prevent the disease to progress and develop more. She can do some healthy lifestyle changes. She can prevent doing things that may endanger her health. Early detection is the key to a woman's survival when it comes to breast cancer.

There are so many clinics that are offering free mammogram tests. You can also just ask your doctor for a mammogram test. It is vital that you have your breasts regularly checked, most especially if you feel certain lumps, chronic pains, and occasional nipple discharges. If you are experiencing these types of abnormality in your breast area, get a mammogram test immediately.

I have always admired the women I encounter, who wear turbans on their heads because of the effects of chemotherapy. I find them very brave and strong because they embrace their hair loss instead of covering it and hiding it, by wearing faux hair or synthetic wigs. Well, wearing wigs is not at all bad. I think that it's just better to be comfortable than to be presentable. Also, I personally think that having no hair is a bad thing. I think that you can do so many things with it in the fashionable sense. I also think that wearing turbans make a person seem more unique, more healthy, and more creative.

One time, I was looking for scarves from a thrift shop. I bumped into this beautiful woman who had a scarf-like wrap on her head. I thought she looked so confident and so beautiful. She was also looking for a new turban. She said that she already owns a dozen and she wants to collect some more. I suddenly wanted to have a turban collection for myself.

If you have just undergone chemotherapy and you're experiencing hair loss, embrace it. You are still very beautiful and you can still be fashionable. There are so many hair turbans to make you all the more fabulous. Enjoy your turban-wearing days. Who says that people with hair are the only ones who can have fun?

Of all the cancer diseases that I have heard of, I am most puzzled with bone cancer. You see, I do not directly know anyone who has bone cancer. I thought that it is one of the rarest types of cancer. But, I was wrong. As I was browsing online for health news, I found out that bone cancer usually affects the young generation. Young people from ages ten to twenty-five are those that are susceptible to bone cancer. Usually, the males are more likely to develop bone cancer.

To diagnose bone cancer is not so hard compared to thyroid cancer. For bone cancer patients, they would constantly experience pain. Their bones would swell up and, more often than not, the bones would become somewhat tender and limp. Also, people who develop bone cancer may experience fractures that have no causes at all. The fractures would recur and appear without any reason at all. Sometimes, the bone cancer patients would feel that it is just simple muscle cramps, but, the pain actually comes from the bones.

The best way to know if you have bone cancer is through the X-ray. If you are constantly experiencing bone pains, you should have your bones checked. It's not so bad to have a regular check-up. The most important thing is what's inside a person's body. So, do not risk your health, do not ignore the pains, get an X-ray.

I have an aunt who has an obvious mole on her arm and she could have sworn that it wasn't there before. She didn't mind it since it was just a mole. But then, the mole started to change color and it grew. So, she went to a dermatologist to have the mole checked. Turns out she had a non-melanoma skin cancer. It's a good thing that this type of skin cancer can be treated and it's the common type of skin cancer.

If the non-melanoma skin cancer is the most usual type of skin cancer, then, anyone is at risk for it. A ratio of 9 out of the ten skin cancer patients has the non-melanoma skin cancer. In the United Kingdom, there is an estimated 65,000 people who develop the non-melanoma skin cancer. The most acquired non-melanoma skin cancer is the basal cell skin cancer.

This shows the most common sign of non-melanoma skin cancer. If you suddenly notice a small lump that is round, you should have it checked as soon as possible because it may very well be basal cell cancer. The lump can vary in color, it can be pearly, pale, or it can be reddish. The squamous cell cancer is the more dangerous type of non-melanoma skin cancer. It shows through reddish spots that are somewhat scaly, through ulcer, and persistent sores which easily bleed. The easiest way to prevent skin cancer is to take good care of your skin. Avoid too much of the harsh sun exposure.

I know that getting a tan is one of the best ways to have that healthy, golden glow. It's also the trend nowadays. If you're not tan enough, then, you're not sexy enough. Just look at Paris Hilton for example. She's always sporting her tanned skin. But, is it all worth it? Should we sacrifice the natural condition, complexion, and health of our skin just to have a tan? There are some ways to get a healthy tan. But, a regular visit to tanning salons or tanning booths may not be a good idea.

In America, almost one million or more Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer each year. Well, not all of their cases resulted from tanning booths. Many of them had too much harmful sun exposure. The UVA rays from the sun are very harmful to the human skin. The tanning beds and tanning booths are not that different from the real sun UV rays. People who regularly go to tanning salons would definitely get saggy skin, wrinkled skin, and most probably skin cancer. Doctors say that a regular visit to the tanning salon, say, 15-30 minutes under the tanning bed, is equivalent to one whole day at the beach. Imagine, you only spend a couple of minutes under the artificial tanning machines and already, you have exposed your skin to an entire sun bathing day by the beach.

That's way harsh for our skin to absorb. Thus, artificial tanning does not only discolor your skin, it also makes you susceptible to skin cancer. Don't think that skin cancer is a so-so thing because it's not. So, you better lessen those tanning salon visits if you want healthy skin when you get older.

I have always perceived breast cancer to be the leading cancer disease acquired by women. But, I was very surprised to hear that lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death of women in America. I was like, hey, where did that come from? Sadly, this is the veracity of the situation and there is very little that we can do to stop it. I say this because even the women who are not smoking cigarettes are being diagnosed with lung cancer. Could it be that the air around us is too polluted with tobacco smoke that even the women who do not smoke develop lung cancer?

Well, that's not entirely the answer to this lung cancer colloquy. The sex of a person is also a participating factor. It was stated in one of the major lung cancer meetings that adult women are 1.5 times more plausible to develop lung cancer than the adult men. Although, lung cancer is also a leading cause of cancer death for men, it cannot be denied that the women aren't at all exempted.

A good way to prevent the increasing number of women developing lung cancer is to make them fully aware of this deadly disease. The women should know the impact of gender, sex, and health on the progression, treatment and development of lung cancer. The smoking women should also be aware that they are thrice more susceptible to the disease than the women who do not smoke at all. So, a first step to prevent lung cancer, quit smoking cigarettes.

Cancer is the number one killer of human beings right now. Researches are still ongoing to help treat cancer in a way that skips the debilitating side effect of chemotherapy. There are different types of cancer, there are even types that only specific by sex, like breast cancer or prostate cancer.

Cancer is a disease that literally eats you inside out. Cancer cells grow very rapidly while killing you of your other healthy cells. Cancer is caused by carcinogens found on every day food that we intake. Fatty foods, cigarettes, coffee, alcohol, cooked meat are some of the things that might increase your risk of cancer.

There are many personalities who are advocating the spread of information and the continuation of research against cancer. Among them are the rock legend, Paul McCartney who lost his wife to breast cancer and Lance Armstrong, the champion athlete of the Tour de France for consecutive years, who, himself, survived cancer. Oprah Winfrey is also an advocate of cancer especially those that attack women and kids. Cancer gets to people however rich or poor, young or old, they may be. We should be aware of this disease more and prevent ourselves from getting it.

We must become more educated about cancer. We can do this by watching inspirational movies, reading books or researching stories in the internet about people with cancer. It is not enough that you only know the technical aspect of this illness. It matters that you know what food to eat, what chemotherapy is or how to keep fit. It matters more to learn about its emotional and mental effects on the person or the current situation of people who has this disease.

Unlike other diseases, cancer may make its victims think back about his or her life. Let's view this in a psychological way. Initially, the person who discovers he has cancer will be in denial about it. He will feel like that this cannot happen to him or that he is perfectly healthy because he is successful and all that. Next, he will be angry. He will get angry at almost everybody he knows or to that person who has thought him to smoke, or to his parents from whom he inherited the genes or worse, to himself. Third, he will be in a state of bitterness. He will regret every wrong he has done and may even think of it as karma. Fourth, he will go into a state of depression and become very hopeless. Lastly, he will learn to accept his fate and realize that he has to decide whether to struggle against it or let it be. During the critical periods, it is best that you keep an open mind about the way you have to approach a cancer patient.

Many people, in a bid to quit smoking, often turn to other alternative smoking products, often with the hope and the promise that these products have less nicotine, tar and smoke than regular cigarettes. However, this might not seem to be the case here.

Bidis are long, hand rolled cigars from India, and they often come in a variety of flavors, from chocolate to root beer. But don't be fooled by their natural appearance, as they contain up to 3 times the nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide of regular cigarettes. Being a long-burning cigar, bidi smokers have greater exposure to these materials than regular cigarettes.

Clove cigarettes come from Indonesia and are either filtered or non-filtered. Although they have lesser nicotine and tar, the porosity of the paper, and the lack of ventilation holes make smoking clove cigarettes as bad as, or even worse than, smoking regular cigarettes.

Hookahs are smoking water pipes that originated in the Middle East. Here, tobacco is filtered through the water and inhaled through the nose. While the water does filter the tobacco, it still does not make it safe to smoke. Nicotine is not filtered, and can become addictive. In addition, gum disease and several cancers have been linked with hookah smoking.

Regarded as a traitor disease, prostate cancer takes its effects even before men notice it. Statistics suggest that prostate cancer ranks only second to lung cancer as the killer of men. What is ironic about this disease is that men who consider themselves as fit are still vulnerable to the disease.

Prostate cancer in its late stages causes a lot of problems to men. The initial symptoms would indicate pain and mild erectile dysfunction. Another symptom is the premature ejaculation even when there are no sexual drives. This type of cancer tends to affect men who are already past their prime. However, there are possible instances when prostate cancer could affect young men.

Although this cancer is curable, certain measures have to done for this to be prevented. A lot of treatment methods would help, but awareness and knowledge of the disease are still the important factors that will lead men to avoid having prostate cancer.

Most of us might not realize it, but caregivers also get tired too. We should also appreciate these individuals who give their time and effort to make the lives of those afflicted by cancer a little easier. In tribute to these caring souls, I'm going to offer a few tips on how they can reduce the fatigue they may experience while in the course of their work.

While bathing, use a shower bench or lawn chair to avoid getting tired while standing in the shower, and have a shower organizer hanging from the shower head to avoid reaching and straining yourself.

In clothing, be sure to wear low-heeled shoes, loose clothing and light colors in order not to strain yourself too much. A tired caregiver is an ineffective one, and can lead to an unfortunate experience for the both of you.

With cooking and housework, make sure everything is in place before you begin. This will make things easier for your tasks to be done with lesser strain and effort.

These tips are not only great for caregivers, but for cancer patients as well.

Cancer is among the grave diseases that attack a large number of the American population. Though cases of cancer are becoming more common today, there are several steps or precautions people can take in order to prevent its development. Medical examination and check-ups do help. Still, the best way to avoid cancer is establishing a healthy habit and lifestyle particularly in the diet. The following are a few of the foods that help prevent cancer:

First are broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables such as kale, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussel sprouts. All of these veggies contain a substance that hinder the growth of cancer cells.

Second is fish which may help reduce the risk of adenoma.

Third are soybeans. They contain the substance glucosylceramide which retards the growth of cancer cells.

Fourth is milk. Its rich calcium content can help lower the possibility of colorectal cancer. Nevertheless, too much calcium intake can also lead to prostate cancer.

Fifth and last is tea. It contains the the substance called Tea Polyphenols which safeguard the DNA from damages that may result to cancer.

Comforting a loved one with cancer is never easy, but it says a lot about your character. Aside from giving them reassurance and advice, there are other, more visual ways to show them and the world your support for the curing of cancer.

One of the most popular ways in recent times is the Livestrong Bracelet. Started and popularized by Cyclist Lance Armstrong, he started his crusade when he learned that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, and was judged terminal. Fortunately, it went into remission, got back to full health and he went on to win the Tour de France.

Aside from these rubber bracelets, many sports apparel makers are now making special t-shirts in support of the crusade against breast cancer. But they don't stop there. Aside from t-shirts, shorts, visors and other headwear have also been drafted into the fight against this terrible disease.

A pap smear is a procedure used by doctors to check the female reproductive system for any health abnormalities. A pap smear is done by having the female patient lie down on a table, their legs suspended on stirrups, and having an instrument called a speculum inserted into the vaginal orifice. The speculum spreads the vagina open, allowing for a visual examination. Next, a sample of cells will be taken from the interior of the vaginal wall, using a spatula.

These cells will be taken to a lab, analyzed and the results made known to you a few weeks later. It's important that you present yourself in as clean a state as possible; meaning that you have had no intercourse, douching or tampon inserted 24 hours prior to your test. Also, having a period or using birth control might alter the results, so inform your doctor of these situations as necessary.

Pap smears might sound uncomfortable and dirty, but taken with an open mind, they become the female's first line of defense against cancers that afflict women.