Contents:
- Medical Video: 5 Common Signs of Cervical Cancer
- Who is at risk for cervical cancer?
- Signs and symptoms of cervical cancer
- 1. Bleeding from the vagina
- 2. An abnormal discharge from the vagina
- 3. Advanced symptoms
- How to prevent cervical cancer and HPV?
Medical Video: 5 Common Signs of Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is a cancer that appears in the cervix due to abnormal cell changes in the cervix, of which 99% are caused by the HPV virus.
There are more than 100 types of HPV, some are malignant or can cause cancer, such as pubic lip cancer and cervical cancer. There are also those that are not malignant, generally causing genital warts.
Cervical cancer is mostly caused by HPV types 16 and 18.
Who is at risk for cervical cancer?
HPV infection can occur to anyone regardless of age. Many people who are exposed to the HPV virus in their body do not feel any signs or symptoms, so they can transmit the virus without realizing it.
Not all women infected with HPV will suffer from cervical cancer. A good immune system can clear HPV infection. However, research shows that it turns out that only 50% of women who have immunity to HPV and that immunity cannot protect against recurrent infections, so they can develop cancer within a few years.
Apart from the presence of HPV, other factors such as lifestyle also play an important role in the development of cervical cancer.
Signs and symptoms of cervical cancer
In the early stages of cervical cancer, generally there are no signs or symptoms that appear. This is why women are advised to routinely undergo pap smears to detect early if there are problems with the cervix such as pre-cancerous lesions.
Symptoms of cervical cancer that are more clearly seen will appear or feel if the cancer cells have spread to the inside of the cervical tissue. These symptoms appear when the pre-cancerous cells are left and left untreated so that they develop into malignant cervical cancer.
Some symptoms of cervical cancer include:
1. Bleeding from the vagina
Bleeding that occurs outside our normal menstrual cycle is one symptom of cervical cancer. For example, blood suddenly comes out of the vagina even though you are not menstruating. Or excessive pain and blood out after sexual intercourse. Bleeding that occurs after you menopause can also be a sign of cervical cancer.
Blood discharge from the vagina is usually the first sign that is recognized in cervical cancer, but tends not to be taken too seriously and is only thought to be flecked by most women.
2. An abnormal discharge from the vagina
In addition to bleeding, abnormal discharge from the vagina is another symptom of cervical cancer. The liquid that comes out is usually:
- Milky white or clear, can also be brown
- Shaped like water or runny
- Odorless
- The discharge is also accompanied by blood and pus
3. Advanced symptoms
Bleeding and discharge from the vagina are symptoms of cervical cancer at the beginning. If untreated, more severe symptoms can arise at a higher stage of cancer. These symptoms include:
- Back pain
- Pain in the pelvis
- Difficulty urinating and defecating
- Swelling occurs on one or both legs
- Feeling weak
- Sudden and unplanned weight loss
How to prevent cervical cancer and HPV?
According to WHO, there are two actions that can be taken to prevent cervical cancer.
Primary prevention measures or the most important thing to prevent cervical cancer is to vaccinate HPV. HPV vaccination makes the body form antibodies to the HPV virus, so the incoming virus will die and not cause cervical cancer.
HPV vaccination is recommended to be done as early as possible from the age of 9 years, because this vaccine is best given before sexual intercourse. In addition to the age of children and adolescents, the body's response in forming antibodies is the best.
Not only women, men can also get HPV infection so men must also consider receiving the vaccine. Men can suffer from diseases caused by HPV such as anal cancer, penile cancer, and genital warts.
For women who are married, it is recommended to carry out periodic examinations or screening through pap smear and IVA tests. This test is intended to find out as early as possible the presence or absence of abnormalities in the cervix. In the early stages of cervical cancer and HPV infection generally do not show symptoms. Usually new cancers are detected when at an advanced stage where cancer cells have spread
Therefore, it is very important to do this test periodically so that even the smallest abnormalities in the cervix can be detected and addressed early.
