Cervical Cancer

Cancer is a serious illness most often characterized by remissions and relapses and often requires extensive and debilitating treatments.Cancer continues to take a heavy toll despite intensive research and aggressive treatment. Cervical cancer is the most common cancer in women and is one of the few cancers where screening can identify pre-cancerous lesions and where the association between screening and mortality decline. Squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix and its intraepithelial precursor follow a pattern typical of sexually transmitted disease. The most important risk factor being infection by the human papilloma virus (HPV), particularly HP types 16 to 18 - about two thirds of all cervical cancers are caused by HPV types 16 and 18. The risk of cervical cancer is increased in sex workers and in women who have first coitus at a younger age, those who have multiple sexual partners, have sexually transmitted diseases, or bear children at a younger age. Promiscuous sexual behaviour in male partners is also a risk and some research suggests that women with partners who have been circumcised are less likely to get cervical cancer. Other factors that may be associated with cervical cancer include cigarette smoking immunodeficiency, vitamin A or C deficiency and oral contraceptive use

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Last date updated on April, 2024