Cervical Cancer prevention!?arrgh i hate that needle
:S
so painful :[ Cervical Cancer is caused by the HPV virus. It is a STD and can by prevented by condom use or abstenence. There is also a vaccine for the 4main strands of HPV that cause cervical cancer. It is called Gardasil and can and will save lifes! Remember to continue to be checked regularly though because there are over 70 strands of HPV that can cause cervical health issues. All of these people saying cervical cancer is caused by HPV.. I have cervical cancer. and me and 3 doctors know I don't have hpv . 9 months ago I was diagnosed with cancerus cells on my cervics. they tested me for HPV I didn't have it. so I went to another doctor and another one and got tested again still no hpv. but ... it can be your genetics.. my family all women when they turn 21 get some form of cancer mine was just cervical cancer.. . I am 22 years old .. so I guess there is really NO prevention of cervical cancer really women with a high risk of cancer b/c it runs in there family. have a chance of getting it and women with HPV have a chance of getting it. so just be careful and get a papsmere every year! Preventions for STD will help in preventing Cervical cancer.
Regular health check up First off, we can putatively say that virtually all cervical cancers are caused by HPV. In science, it is very difficult to prove a causes b CONCLUSIVELY. Yes, there are a small percentage of cervical cancers that do not have HPV present in the tissue. This does NOT mean that HPV didn't cause those cancers; it just means we didn't see any HPV at the time of the sampling. Most clinicians will tell you that all cervical cancer is caused by HPV, full stop.
To answer your question:
There are some generally recognized cofactors for cervical cancer. In some of these cases interventions/prevention efforts could be effective.
Cofactors for cervical cancer:
-Smoking tobacco or exposure to tobacco smoke
-Long term use of oral contraceptives (>5 years)
-Higher number of pregnancies
-Other STIs: chlamydia, HSV-2, HIV)
-Inadequate diet (especially low anti-oxidant intake)
-Immunosuppression (HIV/AIDS, organ transplant, immunosuppressive drug therapy ie. cancer chemo)
-Multiple sex partners, sexual intercourse at an early age and sexual intercourse with those infected with HPV
-Genetic susceptibility: polymorphisms in certain cell regulatory genes, such as p53
Some of these are unchangeable/unknowable, but others are areas where risk can be reduced.
The best way to prevent cervical cancer is to vaccinate against the two biggest cancer causing strains of HPV (responsible themselves for 70% of all cases of cervical cancer).......get vaccinated, get your children vaccinated! Not ALL cervical cancer is caused by the HPV virus although there are some strains of the virus that can cause cervical cancer. If you are sexually active and under 26 (I think that is the max age) you can get a shot that will help protect against the strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer....as for cervical cancer that is not caused by HPV the only thing to do is go for your yearly paps and if you notice any pain between your paps see your doctor so he/she can take a look at you. Cervical Cancer Prevention
Doctors cannot always explain why one person gets cancer and another doesn't. However, scientists have studied general patterns of cancer in the population to learn what things around us and what things we do in our lives may increase our chance of developing cancer.
Anything that increases a person's chance of developing a disease is called a risk factor; anything that decreases a person's chance of developing a disease is called a protective factor. Some of the risk factors for cancer can be avoided, but many cannot. For example, although you can choose to quit smoking, you cannot choose which genes you have inherited from your parents. Both smoking and inheriting specific genes could be considered risk factors for certain kinds of cancer, but only smoking can be avoided. Prevention means avoiding the risk factors and increasing the protective factors that can be controlled so that the chance of developing cancer decreases.
Although many risk factors can be avoided, it is important to keep in mind that avoiding risk factors does not guarantee that you will not get cancer. Also, most people with a particular risk factor for cancer do not actually get the disease. Some people are more sensitive than others are to factors that can cause cancer. Talk to your doctor about methods of preventing cancer that might be effective for you.
Purposes of this summary on cervical cancer prevention
The purposes of this summary on cervical cancer prevention are to:
Give information on cervical cancer and how often it occurs.
Describe cervical cancer prevention methods.
Give current facts about which people or groups of people would most likely be helped by following cervical cancer prevention methods.
You can talk to your doctor or health care professional about cancer prevention methods and whether they would be likely to help you.
Cervical cancer prevention
The uterine cervix is the lower, narrow part of the uterus (womb) that connects the uterus with the vagina. It is part of the female reproductive system.
Cervical cancer usually develops slowly over time. Before cancer appears in the cervix, the cells of the cervix go through changes known as dysplasia, in which abnormal cells begin to appear in the cervical tissue. Later, cancer cells start to grow and spread more deeply into the cervix and to surrounding areas.
Significance of cervical cancer
Thanks to widespread screening with the Pap test (Pap smear), the number of deaths due to cervical cancer has been decreasing. Screening tests have risks, however; prevention of cervical cancer may offer fewer risks and more benefits.
Cervical cancer prevention
Many cases of cervical cancer are associated with known risk factors for the disease. Some of the risk factors cannot be avoided, but many can.
HPV Infection: Cervical infection with HPV is the primary risk factor for cervical cancer. There are over 80 types of human papillomavirus (HPV). Approximately 30 types are transmitted sexually (passed from one person to another by sexual contact) and can infect the cervix. About half of these have been linked to cervical cancer. However, HPV infection is very common and only a very small number of women infected with untreated HPV will develop cervical cancer. A vaccine to prevent a common type of HPV infection is under study. For more, please read the HPV Infection article.
Sexual History: HPV infections that cause cervical cancer are spread mainly through sexual contact. Women who begin having sexual intercourse at an early age and women who have had many sexual partners are at a greater risk of HPV infection and developing cervical cancer. Some methods used to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) reduce the risk of cervical cancer. The use of barrier methods of birth control and/or gels that kill sperm offer some protection but do not completely protect against STDs. For more, please read the Sexually Transmitted Infections in Women article.
Reproductive History: Having a high number of full-term pregnancies (7 or more) increases the risk of cervical cancer.
Use of Oral Contraceptives: Long-term use of oral contraceptives (5 years or more) increases the risk of cervical cancer. For more, please read the Oral Contraceptives article.
Screening History: Receiving regular gynecological exams and Pap tests helps to prevent cervical cancer. Abnormal changes in the cervix can be detected (found) by the Pap test and treated before cancer develops. Women who do not regularly have Pap tests have an increased risk of cervical cancer.
Smoking: Cigarette smoking is associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer.
Diet: Several studies have suggested that certain micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) may reduce the risk of cervical cancer, but this has not been proven. For more, please visit the Nutrition Center .
Knowing the risk factors for cervical cancer can help you avoid them. |
