Cervical Cancer

Kelly was a young, ambitious recent college graduate when she had her unexpected brush with cervical cancer. She lived a healthy lifestyle and was diligent with her gynecological exams, never missing an appointment. But at the age of 24, a busy schedule and relocation to another state caused Kelly to skip her yearly exam.

The following year, in March, 2005, Kelly resumed her annual check-up with the expectation that her results would be fine, just as they had always been. Unfortunately her doctor contacted her shortly after the appointment to tell Kelly that her Pap test had come back abnormal.

Kelly's gynecologist asked her to return for a colposcopy to more closely examine her cervix. Initially, the doctors believed there were only slight cell changes known as mild dysplasia, but they scheduled a follow-up biopsy just to be sure. The biopsy revealed that Kelly had carcinoma in situ, or CIN 3, meaning that there was an advanced level of cancerous cells present. The good news was the abnormal cells were still contained in her cervix and had not yet become invasive cancer. While Kelly was extremely concerned about her diagnosis, she was grateful that she had been tested before the disease had a chance to spread further.

"That's when it hit me that this could be something very serious…but I'm very blessed that I went for the exam when I did," said Kelly.

The doctor informed her that had she not had the exam when she did, it was likely that a hysterectomy would have been necessary or invasive cancer would have developed. Still, the results indicated that Kelly had an aggressive form of the disease and needed to be treated immediately. A LEEP (loop electrosurgical excision procedure) was quickly scheduled to completely remove the area of abnormal cells.

In the year that followed, Kelly was required to have Pap tests every three months. While her first few came back abnormal, today Kelly is happy to report that she has had three consecutive normal Pap tests. After one more normal Pap, she will be able to resume annual exams once again.

But for Kelly, the most important outcome was that—through early detection—she preserved her ability to have children. She is thankful that she caught the disease in time and says that in the future she will "never, ever miss another OBGYN appointment again!"