By Smita Dwivedi
Feb 2, 2024
Cervical Cancer, the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide should be taken more seriously. Learn about the symptoms, treatment, risks of Cervical Cancer in this story.
Every 8 minutes, a women dies of Cervical Cancer across the globe. This has become 2nd largest reason of deaths in women. Let's know more about it.
Cervix is an organ of the female reproductive system that connects vagina to the uterus. If a cancer develops here, it is called Cervical Cancer.
Almost 100% of Cervical Cancer develops due to an infection called Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which is a sexually transmitted infection. Having multiple sex partners increases the chances of HPV transmission.
There are two types of Cervical Cancer : Squamous Cell Carcinomas and Adenocarcinomas. About 80% to 90% of cases are Squamous Cell Carcinomas.
Early stages of Cervical Cancer don't show any symptoms. Only in the advanced stage, the person might face unusual bleeding or discharge from vagina.
However, the incidence of Cervical Cancer has been decreasing, thanks to the effectiveness of vaccines and screening tests in the medical field.
HPV test and the Pap test (or Pap smear) are crucial in detecting early signs of the Cervical Cancer. All the women over 30 are advices to go through the Pap test atleast once every 3 years.
HPV vaccines are being administerd to younger girls falling in the age range of 9 to 15. These vaccines improvers immunity towards some HPV strains.
Is Cervical Cancer treatable? Yes it is, but it depends on the kind of cancer and how far it has spread. Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.
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