Cervical cancer is known as the “pink killer” of women. Every year, nearly 500,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide, with half of them occurring in Asian countries, and about 130,000 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed in China every year, and about 30,000 cervical cancer patients die from the disease. It takes several years for cervical cancer to progress from precancerous lesions to cervical cancer. Timely screening and detection of precancerous lesions are completely curable and can preserve the uterus and reproductive function. About 1/4 to 1/3 of cervical precancerous lesions will transform into cervical cancer About thousands of patients are diagnosed with cervical precancerous lesions a year, and about 200 cases are diagnosed with cervical cancer, half of them are in the early stage when diagnosed and can be operated, and about half are already in the middle to late stage when diagnosed, losing the chance of surgery and can only undergo radiotherapy. About 1/4 to 1/3 of cervical precancerous lesions will be transformed into cervical cancer. The incidence of cervical cancer starts to rise year by year from the age of 30, and there are two high incidence age groups, one is from 45 to 49, and the other is from 59 to 60. Precancerous lesions are 5-10 years earlier than cervical cancer, and 30 to 35 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. 4 misconceptions about cervical cancer to be cautious In recent years, the increasing incidence of cervical cancer and the younger age of onset have aroused people’s concern about this disease. However, there are still many women who have misconceptions about cervical cancer. Myth 1: HPV infection = cervical cancer The occurrence of cervical cancer is closely related to a virus called human papilloma (HPV). Studies have shown that persistent infection with high-risk types of HPV is a necessary factor for the development of cervical cancer and its precancerous lesions. This virus is detected in the vast majority of patients with cervical cancer. Any woman who is sexually active is at risk of contracting HPV through sexual contact. About 80% of women have been infected with this virus during their lifetime. However, HPV infection does not necessarily lead to cervical cancer, as every healthy woman has a certain level of immunity in her body. Studies have confirmed that after HPV infection, most women’s immune systems can eliminate the HPV that enters their bodies. Only a small number of women are at risk of developing cervical precancerous lesions because they are unable to eliminate the HPV that enters their body, resulting in persistent HPV infection. Some of these patients will further develop cervical cancer, a process that takes about 5 to 10 years. Whether HPV infection will progress to cervical cancer is also related to the type of HPV. there are about 100 subtypes of HPV virus, and the most common types of HPV infection in the female genital tract are types 6, 11, 16 and 18, among which HPV6 and HPV11 are low-risk types, while HPV16 and 18 are high-risk types. cervical cancer studies from countries around the world have found that HPV16 The cervical cancer studies from around the world found that HPV type 16 and HPV type 18 have the highest infection rate among cervical cancer patients. Myth 2: Celiac disease can turn into cancer Many women have the misconception that celiac disease can cause cervical cancer and are therefore very afraid of it. Professor Liu Shishi told reporters that there is actually no necessary connection between the two. In medical terms, the columnar epithelium in a woman’s cervical canal is ectoplasmic, replacing the squamous epithelium of the cervix, and when the doctor examines it, he finds that the cervix is partially congested and red, which is called “cervical erosion”. Celiac disease is not really “rotten”, it can be a physiological phenomenon in which women of childbearing age, under the effect of estrogen, the columnar epithelium in the cervical canal ectrophies and replaces the cervical squamous epithelium, presenting a “celiac” shape. In prepubertal and menopausal women, “celiac disease” is also rare because of the relatively low estrogen levels in the body. It is important to note that cervical erosion can also be a common inflammatory state. Early stage cervical cancer is very similar in appearance to celiac disease and can be easily confused. Therefore, if cervical erosion is found during gynecological examination, it should not be taken lightly and further cytological examination and biopsy are needed to make a clear diagnosis, exclude the possibility of cervical cancer and treat it correctly. Myth 3: Not paying attention to gynecological examination There is a gradual natural course from HPV infection to the development of cervical cancer, which is usually about 5 to 10 years long. Therefore, as long as women have regular cervical cancer screening, it is possible to detect the “seeds” of the disease in time and nip it in the bud. At present, the five-year survival rate of early-stage cervical cancer patients can reach 85 to 90 percent after treatment. These women should focus on screening for cervical cancer. Women of childbearing age should not neglect annual gynecological examinations, including cervical cytology examinations such as Pap smear or liquid-based cytology (TCT), which are important methods to detect cervical precancer and cervical cancer. In particular, the following groups of people who are prone to cervical cancer should not be taken lightly: those who are persistently infected with high-risk types of HPV virus, i.e. those who are tested positive for HPV16 and HPV18; those with poor sexual behavior factors, including early age of sexual initiation, multiple sexual partners, and poor sexual hygiene, which increase the risk of developing cervical cancer; women with early marriage, early childbearing, multiple births and multiple pregnancies; those with STDs The risk of cervical cancer is increased by the presence of genital warts, syphilis and gonorrhea in either the male or female partner; low immune function, smoking and malnutrition. Misconception 4: Ignoring “traces” Cervical cancer may not cause any discomfort in the early stage, and some symptoms may be easily ignored. Prof. Liu Shishi suggests that women of childbearing age should learn to pay attention to the “health alarms” issued by their bodies, which may be hidden dangers even though they are just “traces”. Contact bleeding mainly refers to bleeding after sexual intercourse or after gynecological examination or urination or defecation. Even if it is just once and the amount is small, you should be alert. Abnormal leukorrhea Most cervical cancer patients have increased leukorrhea in different degrees. Therefore, women should usually pay attention to the nature, amount and odor of leucorrhea. Especially when large amount of watery or mucus-like leucorrhea is found, it must be noticed.