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. In fact, cervical cancer is not terrible, it is a preventable and treatable disease. I. Four misconceptions about cervical cancer 1. HPV infection = cervical cancer The occurrence of cervical cancer is closely related to a virus called human papilloma. Studies have shown that persistent infection with high-risk types of HPV is a necessary factor for the occurrence of cervical cancer and its precancerous lesions. This virus is detected in the vast majority of cervical cancer patients. 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 type and HPV type 18 have the highest infection rate among cervical cancer patients. 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. There is actually no necessary connection between the two. Medically speaking, it is called “cervical erosion” when the columnar epithelium in the cervical canal of a woman ectopically turns over and replaces the squamous epithelium of the cervix, and the doctor finds that the cervix is partially congested and red during the examination. Celiac disease is not really “rotten”, it can be a physiological phenomenon in which women of childbearing age, under the action of estrogen, the columnar epithelium in the cervical canal ectrophies and replaces the cervical squamous epithelium, presenting a “celiac” appearance. 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. 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 up to about 5 to 10 years. 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 patients with early-stage cervical cancer can reach 85 to 90 percent after treatment. Women of reproductive age should not neglect annual gynecological examinations, including Pap smear or liquid-based cytology, which are important methods to detect cervical precancerous lesions and cervical cancer. Especially, 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, i.e. those who are found positive for HPV16 and HPV18 by HPV virus test. People with poor sexual behavior, including early age of sexual initiation, multiple sexual partners, poor sexual hygiene, etc. will increase the risk of cervical cancer. Women with early marriage, early childbearing, multiple births and multiple pregnancies. Patients with sexually transmitted diseases, whether the male or female partner suffers from genital warts, syphilis, gonorrhea, etc. will increase the chance of cervical cancer in the female partner, those with low immune function, smoking and poor nutrition. Cervical cancer may not cause any discomfort in the early stage, and some symptoms may be easily ignored. Women of childbearing age should learn to pay attention to the “health alarms” issued by the body, sometimes they are just “traces”, but they may be hidden dangers. 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. Second, the early treatment rate of cervical cancer is high Previously, the age group of cervical cancer incidence was mainly in the 50s, and then gradually decreased to the 40s, 30s and even 20s now. The cure rate of cervical cancer is very high, and the cure rate can reach 80% for stage I and 60% for stage II detection. The transition from early stage to middle and late stage is slow, about 10 to 20 years, but of course, faster or slower cases are available. C. Cervical cancer has great therapeutic value Through the above data, we can see that cervical cancer has great therapeutic value, unlike some cancers, which have very low cure rate and patients suffer a lot, and relatively speaking, the therapeutic value is low. Therefore, cervical cancer patients should actively treat it because the cure rate is really quite high. Even if it enters advanced stage, it does not mean that they can give up, they should firmly believe in treatment, which is the first step to cure cancer. For cancer patients, the psychological pressure they face is undoubtedly great. Therefore, cancer patients, especially cervical cancer patients, should never give up, believe in doctors and meet the treatment with a positive attitude, and this healthy psychological implication itself can increase the chances of curing the disease. Cervical cancer treatment should not be delayed As mentioned above, cervical cancer has a high cure rate and a slow transformation from early to middle to late stage, but it is cancer after all, so one should never let down one’s guard, especially once it is found, one should not delay it, the earlier it is treated, the greater the possibility of recovery. If indeed, as the news said, the actor delayed for 4 months from the discovery of cervical cancer, this certainly increases the risk of the disease. Moreover, if you are particularly busy at work and do not get the necessary rest after discovering cancer, you will lower your immunity and aggravate the cancer condition. Nowadays, because many women are more health conscious, cervical cancer can often be detected at an early stage so that it can be treated early. In the central and western part of China, because of the limitation of economic development, many women do not have the awareness of medical checkups, and cervical cancer is often found at a late stage, thus the mortality rate is relatively high. This also reminds women to build up the health awareness of regular medical checkups and early treatment. Early detection of cervical cancer is another characteristic of cervical cancer, which is easy to be detected at an early stage. Whether it is the regular gynecological checkup or the more professional Neuberger’s thin-layer cytopathological examination, the signs of cervical cancer can be detected at an early stage. In addition, some physical signs may also indicate cervical cancer, such as vaginal contact bleeding and bowel bleeding. Cervical cancer is not less related to irregular sexual life, such as starting sexual life too early and having frequent sex life. Therefore, women, especially young women, need to change their poor sexual life style and pay attention to cleanliness and hygiene so as to reduce the risk of cervical cancer.