Early screening is an effective way to prevent cervical cancer

Cervical cancer, also known as cervical cancer, is the gynecological malignancy with the highest incidence in my country. Every year, there are 135,000 new cases and 80,000 deaths. Actresses such as the eternal goddess Anita Mui and the national first-class actor Li Yuanyuan have lost their young lives because of it.

In fact, in some developed countries, the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer have gradually declined. Take the UK as an example, there are only 700 deaths from cervical cancer each year. The reason behind the decline in incidence and mortality is the popularization of early cervical cancer screening.

No HPV, no cervical cancer

Unlike other cancers whose causes are still unknown and only some risk factors can be identified, cervical cancer is the only cancer with a clear cause.

Studies have found that HPV infection can be detected in almost all cervical cancer patients:

Among mild cervical precancerous lesions, 59.7%-82.4% are HPV positive; when cervical precancerous lesions develop to moderate, the HPV positive rate soars to 95.2%-95.5%. As the disease progresses, cervical precancerous lesions develop to severe and eventually develop into invasive cancer, the HPV positive rate is as high as 95.8%-100%, which means that if a woman is not diagnosed with HPV infection, she will basically not develop cervical cancer.

The full name of HPV is human papillomavirus. This virus is divided into many types. 16, 18, 31, 33, 52, 58, etc. are all common types. Among them, types 16 and 18 are also called high-risk types because 70% of cervical cancer is caused by them.

90% of cervical cancer can be prevented through regular check-ups

Without HPV infection, there is no cervical cancer; it takes more than 10 years from HPV infection to cancer. These two things tell us that cervical cancer gives us more than 10 years to detect its signs in advance, as long as regular screening is done. Whether it is precancerous lesions or early cervical cancer, they are easy to detect, and the treatment after discovery is not difficult. Precancerous lesions are reversible, and early cervical cancer can be cured.

How should cervical cancer be screened?

First, check HPV and TCT (cervical liquid-based cytology test). If both tests are negative, you can check again after 3-5 years; if HPV infection is positive, but not type 16 or 18, and TCT test is negative, you can check again after one year; if HPV infection is positive, and it is type 16 or 18. Regardless of whether the TCT test is negative or positive, a colposcopy and biopsy are required.

If the HPV infection is negative but the TCT test is positive, a colposcopy and biopsy are also required. According to the time path from infection to cancer, experts believe that if three screenings are performed before the age of 65, all of which are double negative, there is no need to check again after the age of 65, but if you have not checked, you still need to check three times.