Cervical cancer – World Cancer Day
Across the globe, there are over 150 events registered and 140,000 people supporters leading up to World Cancer Day on 4th February 2011. There are a range of events to support the cause, such as fund raising, awareness campaigns and events, conferences and discussion forums.
samedaydoctor supports research in and prevention of cervical cancer. It is an important time for us to reflect on this key subject and ask some crucial questions.
When did you last have your cervical screening? Have you considered the gardasil vaccination?
About cervical cancer
Cervical cancer affects and is diagnosed in almost 3,000 women in the UK alone. Deaths have fallen in the last 20 years due to strong and persistent screening programmes, where the pre-cancerous abnormal cells are recognised and treated before the development of cervical caner.
HPV infection with one of the high risk types has been shown to be an important factor in the development of cervical cancer. HPV DNA is detected virtually in all cases of cervical cancer (90%), although not all factors that play a role are known.
Cervical cancer symptoms
If abnormal cells develop into cancer, the following cervical cancer symptoms may be presented:
- Vaginal bleeding (between periods or after sex)
- Smelly vaginal discharge
- Discomfort during sex
- Vaginal bleeding after menopause
What causes cervical cancer
There are a number of factors that are thought to be contributing to cervical cancer, although the exact cause is not understood yet. 90% of Cervical Cancer appears to be associated with HPV which can be passed on through sex. HPV is known as the “common cold” of STIs due to the large numbers of people out there with the virus and the ease of passing the virus on.
There are more than 150 types of HPV, 15 of them are said to be high risk. It is possible to have a multiple of strains of HPV. 2-3 types are considered to be prime risk factors for cervical cancer; others can cause other types of infections such as genital warts.
Although we do not know exactly what causes cervical cancer, you are more likely to develop cervical cancer if you:
- Smoke
- Start to have sex at an early age
- Have many sexual partners or partner has many partners
- Taken contraceptive pill on a long-term basis
- Have a weakened immune system
It is highly recommended that women should have regular cervical screening. This would allow for any abnormal cells to be detected early.
If you have an abnormal screening result, a colposcopy is recommended, which is a small biopsy, involving a small tissue sample to be taken for further testing. The testing would show the spread of the abnormal cells and allow for it to be treated to prevent any further spread.
Cervical cancer can include a combination:
- Using a condom during sex will give you some protection from HPV.
- Regular Cervical cancer screening
- Gardasil vaccination
At samedaydoctor, we offer a full STI/STD screening and cervical screening. Cervical screening may detect changes in the cells of the cervix at a pre-cancerous stage. If abnormal cells are caught early, cancer can be prevented or treated.
We recomment cervical cancer screening to all our female patients who are sexually active regardless of their age.
Treatment of cervical cancer
Treatment options include:
- Surgery
- Radiotherapy
- Chemotherapy
Gardasil vaccination / HPV vaccine
At samedaydoctor, we provide the gardasil vaccination. It is a vaccine to protect against the strains of HPV that are most likely to cause cervical cancer. However, it isn’t a complete protection against all strains. As it can take 10 to 20 years for cervical cancer to develop after HPV infection, it will take many years for an effect on the rates of cervical cancer to be seen.
Although the gardasil vaccination is a strong preventative measure against HPV, the screening remains a vital process and shouldn’t be ignored.
