Grandmary

Cervical cancer or cancer of cervix (the lower narrow uterine part) is one of the commonest cancers affecting women. The incidence is higher in African-American women than Caucasian women. However, the underdeveloped countries report the highest rate of cervical cancer due to lack of knowledge regarding effective screening facilities.

Every woman should know some facts about cervical cancer as much as she should know about breast cancer. This puts her in positive frame of mind and also it is then possible to avert the danger in its inception. Let’s see the facts:

(1) If you have crossed forty years of age, the “pap-smear” testing must be done to diagnose any cervical problem much in advance.

(2) After the test is done, ask your healthcare professional to describe the problem to you properly. This will enable you to know the stage of cancer if prevailing. Mild dysplasia or low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) is quite common and with early treatment, complete cure can be achieved.

(3) Know the risk factors for cervical cancer. They are:

- HPV (Human Papillomavirus) infection. This is one of the precursors for development of cervical cancer. The high-risk group of HPVs causes cervical cancers and not all types.

- Early age of first sexual intercourse and more number of sexual partners make woman more prone to cervical cancer.

- Women who are smokers are about twice more likely to develop cervical cancer than non-smokers.

- If the mother of a woman is given the drug Diethylstilbestrol (DES) during pregnancy to avoid miscarriage, her daughter has high chances of developing cervical cancer.

(4) The HPV vaccine is a great way to tackle HPV infections in young girls who have not yet contacted the virus through sexual contact. Even the high risk women should be vaccinated for protection against cervical cancer.

(5) Early detection of cervical cancer is the key. Diagnosed early, the cancer has good prognosis. But in late stages nothing much can be done to prevent metastasis of the cancer to distant body parts.

Well, prevention is obviously better than cure. So, beware of your sexual activity. Also check yourself regularly by Pap test and keep yourself updated about your positive health status! It’s definitely worth it!