What are the ways to prevent cervical cancer? Should I check my cervix every year after I turn 30?

Cervical cancer is known as the "pink killer" of women. Nearly 500,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year, half of which occur in Asian countries. There are about 130,000 new cases of cervical cancer each year, and about 30,000 die from the disease. Professor Wu Yumei, director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, said that it takes several years for cervical cancer to develop from precancerous lesions to cervical cancer. Timely screening for precancerous lesions can completely cure them and preserve the uterus and reproductive function.

About 1/4 to 1/3 of cervical precancerous lesions will turn into cervical cancer.

In Professor Wu Yumei's clinic, thousands of patients are diagnosed with cervical precancerous lesions each year, and more than 200 are diagnosed with cervical cancer. Half of them are diagnosed in the early stage and can undergo surgery, while about half are diagnosed in the middle and late stages and have lost the chance of surgery and can only undergo radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Professor Wu pointed out that about 1/4 to 1/3 of cervical precancerous lesions will turn into cervical cancer. The incidence of cervical cancer begins to increase year by year at the age of 30. There are two high-incidence age groups, one is 45 to 49 years old, and the other is 59 to 60 years old. Precancerous lesions are 5-10 years earlier than cervical cancer. 30 to 35 years old is the age group where precancerous lesions are more concentrated. Therefore, it is very necessary for women over 30 years old to check cervical cells once a year.

Pap smears must be performed by experienced laboratory personnel to ensure their accuracy

The leading cause of cervical cancer is high-risk human papillomavirus (HpV), which causes more than 99% of cervical cancer cases. There are 13 high-risk HPV strains, of which two strains are the most risky - HpV16 and 18, which can cause 70% of cervical cancers.

The current initial screening for cervical cancer mainly uses cervical exfoliated cytology. Pap smear cytology was introduced 60 years ago and mainly checks cervical cell mutations rather than whether there is HPV infection. However, the pasteurized coating must be operated by experienced laboratory personnel to ensure its accuracy. Liquid-based cytology testing has been used for nearly 10 years (TCT), cervical cancer screening and production technology, which has improved the positive rate of cervical cancer screening. At the same time, the high-risk HPV used in the past 10 years can further understand the genetic detection of HPV infection is another method for screening cervical cancer. In March this year, the American Cancer Society updated the cervical cancer screening guidelines and recommended that women undergo a cytology test (pasteurized coating) every three years from the age of 21 to 65. Women aged 30-65 should first promote cytology combined with HPV testing every 5 years to extend the screening interval. It is not recommended for women under 30 years old to use it alone. HPV testing or combined cytology. Cervical cancer screening is not recommended for women over 65 years old.

Combined Pap smear and high-risk HPV gene testing can improve the sensitivity of cervical cancer screening

At the recently concluded annual meeting of the Asian-Oceania Genital Infection and Tumor Research Organization, experts called for a re-examination of the cervical cancer management guidelines in the Asia-Pacific region to reduce the high mortality rate of this preventable disease. Professor Zhang Yaxian, director of pathology at the University of Hong Kong's Pap smear laboratory, said, "The latest HPV gene detection technology can help us detect problems as soon as possible before HPV-infected women undergo cell mutation or cancer. The combined detection method of Pap smear and high-risk HPV gene detection can improve the sensitivity of cervical cancer screening. For some places that lack resources, supporting facilities and manpower, high-risk HPV gene detection is also a good choice for screening." It is reported that Roche's cobas4800 HPV test has been certified by the China Food and Drug Administration.

Professor Wu Yumei emphasized that people's awareness of cervical cancer screening is crucial, and accurate screening methods are a strong guarantee for early detection of precancerous lesions and early cervical cancer. Early detection of precancerous lesions can nip the "pink killer" of cervical cancer in the bud.