Cervical Cancer Prevention and Women's Health Promotion

Introduction

Cervical cancer is a serious women's health issue. While many women visit their doctor annually for testing to detect cancer and other problems early, many others ignore this important examination (Gadducci et al., 2011; Harper, 2004). Additionally, women who experience symptoms of cervical cancer often avoid seeing their doctor. They may lack health insurance, feel frightened, or believe that something less serious is causing their symptoms (Peto, 2004). Because of this, they delay being tested through a pap smear. If any of these women do develop cervical cancer, their treatment will be more difficult because the disease will have advanced further since it was not caught early — a reality worth considering for any woman who is uncertain about getting an exam or has been avoiding one due to lack of insurance, fear, or any other reason.

The most common symptom of cervical cancer is abnormal vaginal bleeding (Luhn et al., 2013; Peto, 2004). This is the symptom that sends the majority of women to their doctor, but there are also times when cervical cancer remains asymptomatic until it reaches the late stages. Other symptoms can include pelvic and back pain, leg pain and swelling, vaginal discharge, and pain during intercourse (Peto, 2004). By that point, the disease can be much harder to cure and may have spread to other organs and tissues. Early detection is the key. Women who see their doctor regularly are more likely to achieve that early detection. While a diagnosis of cervical cancer can be frightening, it is often far less daunting when caught early and found to be highly treatable.

References

Gadducci, A., Barsotti, C., Cosio, S., Domenici, L., & Riccardo Genazzani, A. (2011). Smoking habit, immune suppression, oral contraceptive use, and hormone replacement therapy use and cervical carcinogenesis: a review of the literature. Gynecological Endocrinology: The Official Journal of the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology, 27(8), 597–604.

Harper, D. M., Franco, E. L., Wheeler, C., Ferris, D. G., Jenkins, D., Schuind, A., Zahaf, T., Innis, B., Naud, P., De Carvalho, N. S., Roteli-Martins, C. M., Teixeira, J., Blatter, M. M., Korn, A. P., Quint, W., & Dubin, G. (2004). Efficacy of a bivalent L1 virus-like particle vaccine in prevention of infection with human papillomavirus types 16 and 18 in young women: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet, 364(9447), 1757–1765.

Luhn, P., Walker, J., Schiffman, M., Zuna, R. E., Dunn, S. T., Gold, M. A., Smith, K., Matthews, C., Allen, R. A., Zhang, R., Wang, S., & Wentzensen, N. (2013). The role of co-factors in the progression from human papillomavirus infection to cervical cancer. Gynecologic Oncology, 128(2), 265–270.

Peto, J., Gilham, C., Fletcher, O., & Matthews, F. E. (2004). The cervical cancer epidemic that screening has prevented in the UK. Lancet, 364(9430), 249–256.