Local 12: Cervical cancer on the rise among younger patients
Local 12 featured University of Cincinnati Cancer Center patient Jennifer Wesley and physician-researcher Thomas Herzog, MD, to highlight the importance of screenings as cervical cancer is on the rise among younger patients.
A routine screening at Wesley's gynecologist found she had cervical cancer, and Herzog and the Cancer Center team quickly sprung into action to develop a treatment plan. Herzog said recent research has found cervical cancer is on the rise, and in later stages, among young patients.
"That was shocking because we don't see increases in solid tumors, especially in advanced stages, especially considering that this is a disease for which we can easily screen," Herzog, a Cancer Center member, the Paul and Carolyn Flory Professor in Gynecologic Oncology in the UC College of Medicine and director of UC Health’s Gynecologic Cancer Disease Center, told Local 12. "There's no doubt that COVID has had a negative impact on screening."
Wesley is now cancer free and sharing her story that routine screenings saved her life and could save the lives of others as well.
Watch or read the Local 12 story.
Featured photo at top of cervical cancer metastasis courtesy of National Cancer Institute/Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. Photo taken by Scott Wilkinson and Adam Marcus.
Related Stories
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
Is going nuclear the solution to Ohio’s energy costs?
November 10, 2025
The Ohio Capital Journal recently reported that as energy prices continue to climb, economists are weighing the benefits of going nuclear to curb costs. The publication dove into a Scioto Analysis survey of 18 economists to weigh the pros and cons of nuclear energy. One economist featured was Iryna Topolyan, PhD, professor of economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease
November 10, 2025
An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.