No woman needs to suffer from cervical cancer if it isdiagnosed in the pre-cancerous stage with a Pap smear. By reducing the riskfactors and proper care and diagnosis, this dreaded ailment can be kept at bay.Studies indicate that cervical cancer is the third most common type of cancerin women.
“HIV, multiple sexual partners, sexual intercourse at anearly age and early pregnancy increase the risk of cervical cancer,” says DrJyoti Damodar Redkar, gynaecologist and obstetrician from Margao. Cervicalcancer develops very slowly “ it starts as a pre-cancerous condition. Thispre-cancerous condition can be diagnosed with a Pap smear (a Pap smear is anexamination of cells taken from the opening of the cervix) and is completelytreatable.
Women diagnosed with cervical cancer usually test positivefor the human papillomavirus, or HPV. In fact, 99.7 percent of the womendiagnosed with cervical cancer showed positive test results for HPV. HPV is acommon virus that the body fights against on its own. However, multiple sexualpartners and low immunity cause the virus to stay and this could result in itcausing cancer.
“It is advisable to get a HPV screening every 3-5 years. Thedownside is, this test is expensive. Another option is doing a PAP smear whichis more readily available and accessible,” says Dr Redkar. Doctors advise thata PAP smear test be done every year till the age of 70 for women who havecrossed the age of 18 or 25 and who are sexually active. Since no properguidelines are set in India, doctors recommend a PAP smear test every threeyears for women above 30 years of age up to the age of 70, for women who aresexually active.
Can cervical cancer be prevented? Yes. Religiously getting aPAP smear or HPV screening would help detect the pre-cancerous condition.Another method is to take the HPV vaccine. This vaccine is to be taken in threedoses. The vaccine is usually taken by adolescent girls who are 11-13 years andwho have not begun sexual activity. Women should consult their doctors for moreinformation about the HPV vaccine.
