Cervical Cancer Prevention in Oklahoma: Dr. Joan Walker and OU Health Drive Statewide Progress

As a physician, researcher and educator Dr. Joan Walker, M.D., represents the essence of OU Health, the University of Oklahoma’s academic health system uniting patient care, research and education. Guided by the promise of never done, never outdone, OU Health delivers discovery and healing for all 77 counties and beyond. As a gynecologic oncologist, Walker has been at the forefront of cervical cancer prevention and treatment since human papilloma virus (HPV) was identified as its cause in the 1980s. Today, with vaccines and screening tests that have the potential to eliminate cervical cancer, she is a strong advocate for stopping the disease before cancer ever begins to form.

HPV is ubiquitous and is typically spread through sexual contact. In 80% of people, the body’s immune system rids itself of the virus, but when it doesn’t, or the virus remains dormant, it can return later in life when the immune system is compromised, often leading to cervical cancer.

In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a vaccine, ideally administered to youth ages 9 to 12, that protects against HPV if they encounter it later in life. Additionally, pap smears and HPV testing can detect the virus before it causes malignancies.

Walker would like nothing more than these preventive options to wipe out cervical cancer, but uptake lags for both. About 45% of youth receive the HPV vaccine, and too many women don’t receive regular cervical cancer screening tests.

“Cervical cancer should be 100% preventable. Unfortunately, Oklahoma is second in the nation for women most likely to die of cervical cancer,” Walker said.

The role of OU Health, the state’s only academic health system, is to change those outcomes. Anchored by a mission that unites patient care, research and education, OU Health is never done seeking better answers and never outdone in setting the standard for breakthroughs that improve lives.

Recently, Walker began recruiting participants for a clinical trial that she hopes will fill the gap in screening: self-collection of a vaginal sample to be tested for HPV. OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center is one of 25 sites nationwide chosen for the National Cancer Institute’s SHIP Trial Network.

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Walker is a gynecologic oncologist with OU Health and is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, gynecologic oncology, and hospice and palliative care. She is a George Lynn Cross Research Professor at the OU College of Medicine, where she conducts research on a variety of cancers affecting women.