Registration is open for a event focused on women's health and cervical cancer screening at Caledonian Medical Clinic in Nanaimo. (Kyle Ireland/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

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‘It’s an extremely effective way to save lives:’ Nanaimo event connecting women to cancer screening services

Dec 5, 2021 | 10:38 AM

NANAIMO — Driving home the importance of regular screening and early detection is the focus for two local doctors in their latest pap test push.

‘Papapalooza 2.0’ will be held Jan. 8 at Nanaimo North Town Centre’s Caledonian Clinic in a bid to connect more people with cervices who are due for a pap smear, to regular cervical cancer screening.

This will be the second such event run by Dr. Christine Layton and Dr. Kristi Kyle after their appointments were booked solid for the first iteration in late November.

“It’s for those who do not have a doctor or can not readily access their doctor for cervical cancer screening,” Layton said. “Cervical cancer screening is very effective and does save lives and everybody should have access to pap smears.”

Of particular note for Layton was trying to connect with trans individuals, or those who do not identify as a woman but were born with female anatomy. She added those demographics can have the hardest time accessing this essential health check.

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According to the BC Cancer Agency, since regular screening was adopted in the province in the early 1960’s, rates of cervical cancer have dropped by 70 per cent.

Screening, every three years, is encouraged for those with a cervix aged 25 to 69. If no issues or additional risk factors are identified, those aged 70 and up can stop regular testing.

Layton, a family doctor at the Caledonian Clinic, told NanaimoNewsNOW, while a pap smear is extremely effective at detecting cervical cancer, it does not deal with things such as sexually transmitted infections.

“A big myth out there is by having a pap smear, people are having sexually transmitted infection screening at the same time. If people want to have sexually transmitted infection screening…they’ll need to have a conversation about that [with their doctor] so they we can also take secondary tests.”

The BC Cancer Agency also suggests the risk for cervical cancer is the same regardless of the amount of sexual partners a person has had, which makes regular testing so important.

The event to draw extra attention to the importance of cervical cancer screening was bourne out of Layton’s passion for women’s health and maternity care.

“I feel people should have an access to basic screening for cervical cancer because it’s an extremely effective way to save lives. We certainly do have a shortage of family doctors in Nanaimo, I see people every day who don’t have access to a family doctor readily.”

Registration can be done by leaving a voicemail with your name and phone number at 250 390 5204.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

alex@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley