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According to the press release from the Kaunas clinics, it takes more than three years for this disease to occur. Cancer cases that develop in one to two years are extremely rare. “In 2019, 191 women died of cervical cancer. That’s almost 50 women less than 10 years ago, but I’d like the numbers to be even lower, ”says the doc. K. Jarienė.
What are the symptoms of cervical cancer?
In the early stages, cervical cancer may not have any symptoms. If you experience any unusual symptoms that did not exist before, it is more likely that it is at an early stage.
Women should pay attention to bleeding between periods or after intercourse. Also in unpleasant smelling vaginal discharge. Pelvic or kidney pain can indicate a disease that is already very advanced.
What is the survival rate for cervical cancer?
Significant precancerous changes are caught early and are generally curable for almost everyone. Unfortunately, when cancer spreads, treatment is complicated, long, and not always successful. Five-year survival is calculated: the earlier the stage, the longer the survival. Five-year survival in the early stages of cervical cancer can reach 90 percent. and more.
However, both the public and physicians must understand that this cancer can be controlled. There are known risk factors for the disease and there are many preventive programs for this disease. Experience and good practices in developed countries show that if prevention programs are carried out in a timely and orderly manner and the changes detected are treated appropriately, the incidence of this disease decreases significantly.
Photo from 123RF.com / Uterine Cancer Prevention: Regular Visits to a Gynecologist
How often should women be screened for cervical cancer?
Under the current cervical cancer screening program in Lithuania, all women between the ages of 25 and 60 are screened. Women should be checked every 3 years.
An updated cervical cancer prevention program should be launched next year, which will be slightly different from the current one. The objective is to improve not only the quality of the program, but also its management.
In Lithuania, as in other developed countries, we will be able to carry out the HPV test in women aged 34 years or older who are already in the first stage of detection. This will help speed up the selection of women who are at higher risk for the disease. Currently, all women, regardless of age, undergo a cytology examination on a slide.
What is the most effective prevention?
There is no single most effective prevention tool, it is a set of strategies. By assessing current trends, it is believed that vaccination, organized screening programs, timely and appropriate treatment and follow-up of a woman can help reduce the incidence of the disease.
In Lithuania, since 2016, all eleven-year-old girls have been vaccinated for free with the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which can help prevent precancerous changes in the cervix and cervical cancer. There is no question that HPV is a major risk factor for cervical cancer.
By the way, this virus can also cause precancerous diseases and cancer of the vagina, perineum, anus or larynx, so the vaccine can also protect against precancerous changes and cancer in these localities if they are caused by the human papillomavirus. For a vaccine to be effective not only for the individual but also for society, at least 80% of the vaccine must be vaccinated to develop the so-called “herd immunity”. target group of girls, ideally – 90 percent. In Lithuania, volumes reach around 65 percent.
123RF.com nuotr./Moteris
What myths have you heard about cervical cancer?
Myths range from the spread of the virus, the chances of contracting it, to questions of fidelity in sexual life.
One of the most troubling myths for women is that HPV vaccination may be associated with infertility. In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) completed a systematic analysis of clinical cases that found no causal relationship between the HPV vaccine and possible infertility.
On the contrary, in terms of a woman’s reproductive health, both the HPV infection itself and the changes it causes, or treating these changes to prevent cancer, can lead to serious health problems. Female infection HPV infection increases the risk of preterm birth, premature loss of amniotic fluid, delayed fetal growth, low birth weight, or even stillbirth, and HPV-infected sperm reduces the incidence of successful conception.
January Days 18-24 are mentioned European prevention of cervical cancerI knew youme. Obstetricians and gynecologists recommend immediate and regular screening for cervical cancer. With early detection of precancerous changes or an early stage of the disease, treatment may be more successful.
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