What are the methods to prevent cervical cancer? What are the screening methods for cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is the third most common female cancer in the world, with a mortality rate of up to 50% in Asia. 99% of cervical cancers are caused by human papillomavirus (HpV). So, how to prevent cervical cancer? Experts say that the occurrence of cervical cancer can be avoided through HPV.

Infection with high-risk HPV virus

High likelihood of cervical precancerous lesions

Nearly 500,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, and almost all cervical cancers are caused by papillomavirus (HpV). HpV is a virus that specifically infects the squamous epithelium of the human epidermis and mucosa and is mainly transmitted through sexual intercourse. HpV infection is more common in women, and data show that four out of every five women will be infected with HpV at some stage in their lives. There are currently more than 100 different types of HpV known, most of which are considered "low risk" and are not associated with cervical cancer. However, there are 14 types of HpV that are classified as "high risk", among which the two highest risk strains - HpV16 and HpV18 can cause about 70% of cervical cancers. Compared with no infection, women carrying these two strains of HpV are more likely to develop cervical precancerous lesions even if the cytology test results are normal.

Latent in the body for ten years without symptoms

Routine screening is important

Thomas Wright, Professor Emeritus of Pathology and Cell Biology at Columbia University Medical Society in New York, spoke at the annual meeting of the Asian-Australian Genital Infection and Tumor Research Organization. Generally speaking, most women do not know they are sick because they cannot see the symptoms of cervical precancer. "Our study found that if the cytology results are normal, even if the cytology results are normal and HPV16/18 is positive, 1 in 10 women still have cervical precancer." Professor Wright believes that the data show that cervical cancer can be prevented through early detection. HPV can lurk in the body for ten years or even longer without any symptoms. HPV testing is important as part of routine screening, which can increase the early detection rate and ultimately prevent the occurrence of cervical cancer.

Professor Lang Jinghe, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Union Hospital, also said that the cure rate for cervical precancerous lesions is as high as 98%, but only 20% of women can survive for more than 5 years. Once it develops into cancer and spreads to other organs, it will spread to other organs. He called for improving the use of HPV screening tests and encouraging women to undergo regular high-risk HPV tests, especially HPV16 and 18 tests, which can help detect risks early and are also an effective way to reduce the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer in Asian women.

DNA detection of HPV is more accurate

According to experts, the existing cervical cancer screening is mainly through cytology, and the test results are affected by many subjective factors. Studies have shown that a single cytology test is not enough to assess a woman's risk of cervical cancer. HpVDNA testing is a molecular-level detection method based on etiology, which can more objectively assess whether a woman has cervical precancerous lesions or a high risk of progression to precancerous lesions. "High-risk HpVDNA testing allows doctors to confidently judge. Negative results indicate that women have a low risk of cervical cancer, thereby safely extending the screening interval. Women can ask their doctors to perform high-risk screening HpV testing on the basis of routine cytology screening." Professor Lang Jinghe said.