Of the 231,000 annual global deaths from cervical cancer
Of the 231,000 deaths from cervical cancer worldwide each year, more than 80% occur in developing countries, and most cervical cancer patients are in an uncontrolled state. Cervical cancer has become one of the heaviest disease burdens in developing countries.
Etiology of cervical cancer.
The incidence of cervical cancer is 4 times higher in women who have sex before the age of 18 than in those who start to have sex after the age of 18.
The incidence of cervical cancer is 4 times higher among women who have sex before the age of 18 than those who start sex after the age of 18. The incidence of cervical cancer is 6 times higher in women with early sex and sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis and gonorrhea than in normal women.
It has been confirmed that if women have sex with more than one man, they have more chances to develop cervical cancer, while virgins rarely develop cervical cancer. Unmarried and unborn women have very little chance of developing cervical cancer, and the incidence of cervical cancer is higher in multiple marriages. The incidence of cervical cancer is also increased by multiple decisive marriages with poor perinatal protection and decisive procedures. However, multiple decisive marriages do not increase the incidence of cervical cancer.
2. Relationship with spouse: It is believed that the relative risk of cervical cancer in the wife of a husband who is circumcised or circumcised is higher. If a man suffers from penile cancer or prostate cancer or his ex-wife suffers from cervical cancer, as well as if a man has multiple sexual partners, his wife will have a higher chance of developing cervical cancer.
3.Viral or fungal infection: Cervical cancer is the only gynecological malignancy with a clear etiology and is associated with persistent infection with high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV). Herpes simplex virus type II, human cytomegalovirus and fungal infections are also associated with the development of cervical cancer. However, the question of which virus is the main trigger or which viruses in concert are susceptible to cervical cancer has not been resolved.
4.Cervical erosion, laceration and ectropion: Due to the physiology and anatomy of the cervix, it is easily stimulated by various physical, chemical and biological factors, including trauma, hormones and viruses, etc.
5. People who sit in one place for a long time or do not move for a long time will accumulate toxins, for example: mahjong activities, office activities, etc. The prevention of cervical cancer can be eliminated if you need to exercise more. This is also the cause of most of the incidence.
Symptoms and signs of cervical cancer.
1. Vaginal bleeding: Young patients often show contact bleeding, which occurs during sex, gynecological examination and bleeding after stool. The amount of bleeding may be large or small, generally depending on the size of lesion and invasion of interstitial blood vessels. Early bleeding is small, while later lesions are large and may cause fatal hemorrhage once they erode larger blood vessels. Younger patients may also present with prolonged periods, shortened cycles, and increased menstrual flow. Older patients often complain of irregular vaginal bleeding after menopause.
2.Vaginal discharge: Patients often complain of increased vaginal discharge, white or bloody, thin like watery or rice soup-like, with fishy odor. In late stage, due to the rupture of cancer tissue, tissue necrosis and secondary infection, a large amount of purulent or rice-soup-like foul-smelling leucorrhea is discharged.
3.Symptoms of advanced cancer: secondary symptoms appear according to the invasion range of lesions. When the lesion spreads to connective tissue of pelvic cavity, pelvic wall, compressing ureter or rectum or sciatic nerve, patients often complain of frequent urination, urgent urination, anal swelling, constipation, shortness of breath, swelling and pain of lower limbs, etc. In serious cases, it leads to ureteral obstruction and hydronephrosis, and finally causes uremia. At the end of the disease, patients may suffer from emaciation, anemia, fever and general failure.
Examination of cervical cancer.
1.First step: TCT thin-layer liquid-based cytology test
Firstly, thin layer liquid-based cytology technique (TCT) is used to observe cervical exfoliated cells under a microscope to check whether there are abnormal cervical cells. Alternatively, if economic conditions allow, HPV testing can also be performed at the same time, which will be more accurate.
2. Second step: electronic colposcopy
After TCT thin layer liquid-based cytology, if abnormal cervical cells are found, colposcopy is required. Under electronic colposcopy with high magnification of 40 times, it is important to observe the subtle changes in the surface layer of cervical precancerous area, which is valuable for early detection and early diagnosis of cervical cancer and precancerous lesions.
3.Third step: histopathological test
If abnormalities are found in colposcopy biopsies should be taken under the guidance of special staining. Under the prompt of colposcopy, multi-point biopsy of suspected lesions and histopathological examination can be performed separately to confirm the diagnosis of cervical lesions.
After the above three steps of examination, cervical lesions can be identified and early cervical cancer can be detected.
Prevention pathways of cervical cancer.
1. Almost all (99.7%) cervical cancers are caused by HPV infection. The 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Harald zur Hausen, the German scientist who discovered the relationship between HPV and cervical cancer.
Hausen, who first discovered that HPV causes cervical cancer and conducted an in-depth study of its mechanism, ultimately proving that HPV infection is the main cause of cervical cancer, which was the fundamental basis for the development of HPV vaccines.
This major discovery was the fundamental basis for the development of HPV vaccine.
HPV infection does not only cause cervical cancer, 90% of anal cancers, 40% of vulvar/vaginal cancers and 12% of head and neck cancers are closely related to HPV infection.
3. Sexual intercourse is the main way of HPV infection, but not the only way. Condoms do not completely block the transmission of HPV.
HPV infection is very common and the probability of being infected with HPV during one’s lifetime is very high once one starts to have sex, and the rate of HPV infection among sexually active women is about 50% to 80%.
HPV infection usually does not have any symptoms, so it cannot be detected by yourself.
5. HPV infection does not necessarily lead to cervical cancer, there are more than 100 subtypes of HPV, which are divided into low-risk and high-risk types.
50% to 90% of HPV infections can be cleared by the immune system within a few months to 2 years after infection and will not cause long-term harm.
6. Only persistent infection with high-risk HPV types will progress to malignant lesions. definition of persistent HPV infection: two consecutive detections of the same high-risk HPV type at intervals of more than one year
HPV is considered to be persistent infection.
7. HPV l6 and 18 are the most predominant high-risk HPV types, and 70% of cervical cancers are caused by these two HPV types, so the current HPV
In other words, the current vaccine may only prevent 70% of cervical cancers.
8. The HPV vaccine is a landmark attempt to eradicate a type of cancer through a vaccine for the first time.