October is approaching, and ATS della Montagna is finalizing the program for what will be Pink Month 2022, a month traditionally dedicated to prevention. To anticipate a very rich calendar of events to be presented soon, there is a very important initiative aimed at women. Starting on Monday, September 19 in the Valtellina and Alto Lario regions, screening for the prevention and early diagnosis of cervical cancer begins. In fact, all women between the ages of 25 and 64 will be invited, with a personal letter sent to their home, to take a Pap test or an HPV test depending on the screening age and vaccination status.
In the Valtellina – Alto Lario region, 63 and 64 women will be invited in the first months of activity, after which ATS Montagna, in collaboration with ASST Valtellina-Alto Lario, will continue to actively advocate for other age groups offered. The HPV test and Pap test will be performed in the counseling centers in Bormio, Chiavina, Dongo, Morbigno, Sondrio, Tirano and in Ponto Familia in Livigno. Direct stakeholders will be followed up throughout the process.
If the screening test merits further consideration, a telephone call from the health professionals at the screening center is followed to schedule a colposcopy appointment: a painless, non-invasive or traumatic examination performed in the gynecological operating units of the Sondrio and Sondalo Hospitals.
What is the papilloma virus?
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a sexually transmitted infection, which is very common in the population and is often the cause of cervical cancer. In most cases, this infection does not cause any changes and can regress spontaneously, especially in young women. In a small number of cases, it causes lesions at the level of the cervix that generally resolve without intervention and in rare cases, if not adequately controlled and/or treated, can slowly progress towards cancer. It is therefore important to regularly participate in screening programs for the prevention and early diagnosis of cancer, and to respond to calls for screening.
Other screening programs are also active throughout the ATS Mountain Territory: Mammography, which targets women ages 45 to 74, and the Colorectal Cancer Prevention and Diagnosis Program for men and women 50 to 74 years old. For more detailed information about cervical cancer, click over here
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