Cervical cancer can be eradicated by Lang Jinghe At the National Conference on New Advances in Gynecology, Lang Jinghe, chairman of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association and director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, clearly pointed out that cervical cancer is an infectious disease, a preventable and curable disease. Cervical cancer may become the first malignant tumor to be comprehensively prevented and eradicated by mankind through multiple methods. The reporter learned from the meeting that cervical cancer is the second most common malignant tumor in the world, second only to breast cancer. China has 135,000 new cases of cervical cancer every year, accounting for about 1/3 of the global incidence, which is the first place of gynecological malignancies in China. About 230,000 people die from cervical cancer worldwide every year, and China accounts for 20,000-30,000 of them. According to Director Lang Jinghe, the global medical community has now reached a consensus – cervical cancer originates from HPV (human papillomavirus) infection. Scientists have discovered that HPV can be detected in all cervical cancer patients, and without HPV infection, a person will not get cervical cancer. This historic breakthrough has brought light to the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer in humans. Not all women infected with HPV will develop cervical cancer, and only 2-3 percent of them will develop cancer, said Director Lang. He said that since the cause is clear and it takes years or decades for cancer to develop from HPV infection, more than 90 percent of cervical cancers can be prevented as long as women are aware of self-care and have regular checkups. Patients under 35 years old account for 1/34 In mid-March, a 28-year-old woman came to the gynecology department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital to see a doctor, who found that she had cervical cancer, which had metastasized and was in an advanced stage. Director Lang Jinghe said that this kind of situation was rare 20 or 30 years ago, but now it is very common. Now, the “youthfulness” of cervical cancer is very obvious and has global prevalence. In the past 20 years, the average age of onset of cervical cancer in China has advanced from 53 to 45 years old, and the proportion of young cervical cancer patients aged less than 35 to all patients has increased from 4.8% between 1975 and 1984 to 34.1% at present, while the average age of precancerous cervical lesions is about 24 years old, said Director Lang. This trend of “youthfulness” requires us to pay attention to early prevention and treatment of cervical cancer. According to Director Lang Jinghe, no matter how much earlier the average age of onset of cervical cancer and precancerous lesions is, there is still plenty of time for us to detect the disease. It takes 8-12 years to develop from cervical precancerous lesions to invasive cancer. Therefore, if two consecutive HPV tests are negative, it can be predicted that invasive cancer will not occur within 5 years. Regular cytology screening is most effective According to the World Health Organization, the incidence of cervical cancer in developed countries has now dropped significantly, thanks in large part to effective prevention and early diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer. Experts believe that the key to preventing cervical cancer lies in regular cervical cancer prevention cytology examinations. The so-called cytology test involves brushing a special small brush on the cervix and then analyzing the collected cells in an instrument, thereby determining whether a person’s cervix has cancerous changes. This test does not cause pain to the patient and the results are accurate. Since 2000, the survey of the Chinese Medical Association’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Branch found that less than 1% of women aged 20-69 nationwide receive routine cervical cytology tests every two years; women over 50 almost never have smear tests, and these women have a high chance of developing invasive cervical cancer. Director Lang Jinghe told reporters that 1/4 of cervical cancer patients in China have never undergone cytologic smear examination, and almost 1/4 of patients have never undergone cytologic examination within 5 years before diagnosis. Director Lang Jinghe urged that the prevention of cervical cancer is a systematic project, and the whole society should carry out scientific education so that more and more women can take the initiative to participate in the prevention of cervical cancer.