Regular gynecological examinations to prevent cervical cancer

Whether modern women can have regular gynecological examinations is not an economic issue but a health concept issue. Young women in particular are often blindly confident in their own bodies and think that diseases, especially malignant tumors, are far away from them. However, they do not know that the high-risk age of cervical cancer has been advanced by 10 years compared with 20 years ago, and it is currently a "beauty killer" threatening women's health. There are 500,000 new cases of cervical cancer and more than 200,000 deaths worldwide each year, one-third of which occur in China.

At present, it is recognized at home and abroad that human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the main cause of cervical cancer. More than 90% of cervical cancers are accompanied by persistent high-risk HPV infection. Auxiliary pathogenic factors include premature sexual life, multiple births, multiple sexual partners, smoking, other viral infections, malnutrition, and low immune function. The development process of high-risk HPV infection → cervical precancerous lesions → early invasive cancer → invasive cancer takes an average of 10 years. If cervical precancerous lesions are treated in time, the occurrence of cervical cancer can be blocked, cervical carcinoma in situ can also be completely cured, and the cure rate of early invasive cancer can reach 98%. However, the survival rate will be greatly reduced after invasive cancer. Therefore, whether it can be cured depends mainly on how early it is discovered.
However, the cervix is ​​a "dangerous area without pain" in the female body. In the early stage, there may be no symptoms, or only increased vaginal discharge, and in the late stage, there will be irregular vaginal bleeding, foul-smelling vaginal discharge, pain and other symptoms. Therefore, regular health checks are the key to prevention and early detection. Routine gynecological examinations, HPV testing + liquid-based cytology (LCT) are currently the most effective means of cervical cancer screening. Women who have had sex for more than three years or who have had sex over the age of 21 should be screened once a year and determine the time for follow-up visits under the guidance of a doctor.
Cervical cancer is the main threat to women's health and life. It can be said that it is an infectious disease, which is preventable and curable. Active prevention and early diagnosis and treatment can keep you away from it and make your life better.