Attention Women: 5 Facts You Should Know About Cervical Cancer

With cervical cancer continuing to affect women worldwide, it’s important to understand the disease known as a “silent killer” and what we can do to improve our chances of beating it.

What is a cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer starts in the cells lining the cervix — the lower part of the uterus (womb). The cervix connects the body of the uterus (the upper part where a fetus grows) to the vagina (birth canal). Cancer starts when cells in the body begin to grow out of control.

Cervical cancer is most frequently diagnosed in women between the ages of 35 and 44 with the average age at diagnosis being 50. It rarely develops in women younger than 20.

It is known fact that more than 20% of cases of cervical cancer are found in women over 65. Here’s a list of five facts you need to know about cervical cancer:

#1 HPV is the most known cause of cervical cancer.

Most cervical cancers are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that can be passed from one person to another through sexual activity.

#2 Cervical cancers are preventable in most cases.

The simplest way to prevent cervical cancer is to prevent HPV infection at the first place. For the same reason HPV vaccination has been used that protects the body against the infection.

Another is routine Pap testing, the best way to detect abnormal changes to the cervix before they develop into cancer.

#3 Remember only certain strains of HPV cause cervical cancer.

There are more than 150 groups of related viruses. Though HPV is serious and a cancer indicator, but not all the strains are cancer causing. Most HPV infections go away without treatment and are not linked to cancer.

#4 Smoking and other factors also increase the risk of cervical cancer.

Smoking weakens your immune system, making it more difficult for your body to fight HPV infections on its own.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that the risk of cervical cancer increased in women who were smokers and in women who were exposed to secondhand smoke even after other factors, such as sexual activity, were considered.

Women who were exposed to 3 or more hours of smoke a day had about three times the risk of cervical cancer.

#5 Cervical cancers do have warning signs, but not early warning signs.

Cervical cancer is known as “silent killer” for a reason, because it often presents no symptoms in its early stages. The warning signs only shows up as the disease progresses. Warning signs include abnormal bleeding, pelvic pain, unusual discharge, painful urination, disturbed menstrual cycles, pain after sex, etc.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Cervical Cancer

Diagnosis of cervical cancer involves a complete physical examination and a cervical biopsy wherein the doctor takes a small biopsy from the cervical growth to confirm malignancy. In addition, radiological imaging (MRI/CT/PET-CT) is advised to look for the spread of the disease, if any.

See Also: Knowing Cancer & Care  

The cervical cancer treatment depends upon the stage of the disease and the condition of the patients. Patients detected with cervical cancer at an early stage and is in good health condition are generally advised surgery, to remove the uterus and cervix with the neighbouring tissues (radical hysterectomy) along with the lymph glands in the pelvis.

Patients diagnosed with advanced stages of cervical cancer are treated with radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy.