Cervical Cancer – The Common Questions

You may want to know that virtually all women are at risk of cervical cancer, regardless of their age or lifestyle. In fact, cervical cancer is the 2nd most common cancer affecting women worldwide, after breast cancer. But did you know that cervical cancer is also highly preventable?

Below are some common questions that I hope will give you the knowledge about this highly preventable disease and our risk to it.

Q:	What is Cervical Cancer?
A:	Cervical cancer is mostly caused by the human papillomavirus, or HPV. Symptoms include painful sex, vaginal bleeding, and discharge. As shown in the figure below, the cervix is the neck of a female womb, i.e. uterus. It connects the body of the uterus to the vagina (birth canal). Cervical cancer occurs when the cells of the cervix become abnormal and grow out of control. Sadly to say that the cancer can spread to other parts of the body too.
Q:	What is human papillomavirus (or HPV in its short form)?
A:	Human papillomavirus or HPV is a family of more than 100 common viruses, but only certain types of HPV are associated with certain types of cancer. We may call those as high-risk cancer-causing HPVs'.
Q:	What is the relation between HPV and Cervical Cancer?
A:	To our surprise, most HPV infections occur without any symptoms and will usually go away without any treatment over the course of a few months. However, in some cases, the infection by these high risk or cervical cancer causing HPV may persist, leading to the risk of progression to cervical cancer, although the process itself can take more than ten years to develop.
Q:	How is HPV transmitted?
A:	HPV is a very common virus that is transmitted through genital skin to skin contact, as well as to and from anus, mouth, or throat during sexual activities; hence it can affect virtually any woman, regardless of her age or lifestyle. In fact, the risk of HPV infection starts from the first sexual encounter and lasts throughout a woman's life. It is estimated that up to 80% of women will acquire a genital HPV infection in their lifetime irrespective of their age and lifestyle.
Q:	Do condoms reduce the risk of HPV infection?
A:	Yes, it reduces the risk but is not fully protective, as throughout her life every woman is at risk from the virus that causes cervical cancer.
Q:	Can Cervical Cancer be prevented?
A:	Yes, in fact, cervical cancer is a highly preventable disease.
Q:	How to protect ourselves from Cervical Cancer?
A:	Have regular Pap test screening, as it is recognized to be the most effective screening test for cervical cancer. Through this quick and simple test, it allows us to find abnormal cells at the surface of the cervix, and the treatment of cervical cell abnormalities can prevent the abnormal cell changes from developing into cancer. Usually cells are collected from the cervix and sent to a laboratory where they are tested for changes. It is important to follow up with your doctor after any abnormal Pap test result. Vaccinate to prevent HPV infection and cervical cancer. Gardasil, is a new vaccine against human papilloma virus or HPV. However, if a girl or woman already infected with HPV, the vaccine will not prevent that strain of HPV from causing disease, but protect against new infections with other strains of HPV included in the vaccine.

I suggest you to talk with your doctor for treating early cervical cell changes to reduce your risk for cervical cancer and to protect yourself and your loved ones.

Again, cervical cancer is a highly preventable disease and knowing if we are infected with HPV can assist in deciding what to do next.