Cervix Cancer : a Preventable Disease

            Cervix Cancer is frequently found and globally takes the second place of women’s death after the breast cancer. In 2002, there were new 600,000 patients suffering from the cervix cancer and almost 245,000 patients died from it. In Thailand, the amount of new patients of cervix cancer is approximately 6,192 each year and almost 50% of the patients die from it, that is to say 9 patients die from Cervix Cancer  each day. After having compared with other regions, the patients with cervix cancer are mostly found in the northern region.

            The main reason of cervix cancer is the infection of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) spreading around the cervix area. This virus are directly diffused by having sexual relationships. There are now more than 100 different species of HPV, 2 of the species are the most dangerous. Normally, women who have already had a sexual relationship may be infected by this virus in 70 % of their lifetime. Most of the infections are temporary and self-treatable. Contrastingly, if women infected from the most 2 dangerous species and remains in the cervix longer than 1 year (10 to 20 % of women), the women would therefore have the risk of  virus transformation causing them cell abnormalities. These women having no medical examinations or treatment will certainly have cervix cancer in the next 10 to15 years.

            Cervix cancer can be found in the carcinoma in situ stage by a Pap test – the medical examination searching for  cervical cells possible to be cancerous, before being found by eye examination. By this examination, the medical treatment will be effectively proceeded and also decrease the death possibility up to 70 %. The symptoms  which are usually found is vaginal bleedings. The treatment depends on which stage the cancer is in, furthermore, there are various kinds of treatment in cervical intraepithelial neoplacia and carcinoma in situ stage without removing the womb. In the locally advanced cervix cancer stage, the tumor can be treated by an operation, or  radiation and  chemotherapy.

            In the past, the females aged 40 to 50 years old were in the high risk patient group of cervix cancer. Therefore,  women aged from 35 years onwards were always recommended to have a Pap test in order to find  cell abnormalities. Nowadays, the age of patient group is lower than the past because they have sexual relationships at a younger age. The cancer is now found more and more in the teenager group.  So, females who are married or even single women who are between 25 to 30 years old should have a medical check to find any cell abnormalities as soon as possible, without delaying the medical check until are 35 years old.

           

For more information, please contact : Women’s health Center
Or call the hospital’s Contact Center at 1719

 

The cervix cancer is preventable by avoiding the risk factors and taking the medical screening test once a year at least.

 

Risk factors :

1. Having many partners: the risk rate depends on the amount of partners.
2. Having sexual relationships before 17 years of age which is the major transformation period of cervical cells causing the sensitivity of carcinogen and especially HPV viruses.
3. Being pregnant and giving birth If the amount of children is up to 4, the risk of cervix cancer gets 2 to 3 times more.
4. Having herpes, simplex, syphilis or gonorrhea in the past.