A Family Doctor's Tale - CERVIX CANCER

DOC I HAVE CERVICAL CANCER

Cervical cancer is a fairly common cancer in Singapore. There is a relationship with sexually transmitted human papilloma virus ( or genital warts) so sexually active women should go for a Pap's smear at least once a year or once in 2 years. Treatment is effective if detected early. Unfortunately many cases may be detected late.
Now there are 2 vaccines which can be used to prevent infection by the human papilloma virus. There is wide spread vaccination of school girls and females in England.
 
Cervical cancer is  a common cancer in women which affects the cervix (the neck of the womb).

All women aged between 25 and 69 who:
Ever had sex
Had multiple sexual partners
Had sexually transmitted infections (STI) e.g. genital warts, genital herpes and human papilloma virus infection

If you experience the following, see your doctor about it right away.

Vaginal bleeding after sexual intercourse
Irregular bleeding in between periods or after menopause
Foul-smelling vaginal discharge

As with breast cancer, the initial stages of cervical cancer are painless, so women may not know it. Regular screening detects abnormal changes in the cervical cells and prevents cancer.

To check if you may have cervical cancer, go for a Pap smear test. This is simple, quick, safe and is usually painless procedure. If you have had sex before or are sexually active, you should go for a Pap smear once every 3 years. 
Pap smears are available at all  hospitals, most private clinics and the local Cancer Society.
If the Pap smear is positive, a colposcopy (examination of the inner lining of the womb) followed by cone biopsy of any suspicious area may be done.

In the pre-cancer stage of of the cervix, removal of all the abnormal tissues can be done by a cone biopsy. Repeated Pap smears must be done to confirm that there is no recurrence of the cancer.
In all cases of established  cancer of the cervix(stage II - IV), surgery is done with removal of the womb followed by radiotherapy( external or internal).

Reviews of the woman's condition is done regularly.
Sexual intercourse should be avoided temporarily after treatment. 
Normal physical and social activities may be resumed in 2-3 month after treatment.

So take steps now to protect yourself against cancer. 
Encourage your loved ones to go for screening if they have not done so. 
Bear in mind that a pro-active approach with regular clinical screening is to prevent common cancers like breast and cervical cancers from affecting your lives.