-The only cancer for which there is a vaccine… If detected early, the cure rate is high.
-HPV infection is the main cause… Types 16/18 account for 70% of cervical cancer
-The number of patients is decreasing due to free vaccination and national examination project
-Difficult to self-diagnose because there are no early symptoms… Confirmation through regular check-up
– Prevention by vaccination with HPV… People in their 20s or older need to be screened once every 2 years
Like the meaning of ‘baby house’, the womb is the place where precious life is conceived and grows until childbirth. It is also involved in menstruation (menstruation), which is located in the center of a woman’s body and performs magic once a month. The size of the uterus is usually regarding the size of a fist, but when pregnant, it increases to 5 liters, which is 500 times its usual volume. The overall shape is an inverted triangle in the form of an upside-down pear, and is divided into the upper uterine body (uterine body) and the lower cervix (cervix).
Cervical cancer is a malignant tumor that occurs in the lower part of the uterus and the part of the vagina, that is, the entrance to the uterus. According to the ‘2019 National Cancer Registration Statistics’ released at the end of last year, a total of 3,273 new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed in Korea in 2019, ranking 10th among female cancers.
Cervical cancer, unlike other cancers, is the only cancer for which a preventive vaccine exists, and if detected early, the cure rate is also high. As it can affect pregnancy or childbirth, it is necessary to pay attention to prevention above all else.
◇HPV infection is the main cause… If you are a sexually active woman, don’t worry = The main cause of cervical cancer is Human Papiloma Virus (HPV) infection. HPV infection is confirmed in 99.7% of actual patients. HPV is transmitted primarily through sexual intercourse. Any woman who has started a sexual life cannot be relieved.
However, not everyone infected with HPV will develop cervical cancer. HPV usually disappears spontaneously. Of course, if the infection continues, the risk of cervical cancer increases. There are more than 150 known HPV types, of which types 16 and 18 are known to be deadly high-risk viruses that cause regarding 70% of cervical cancers.
In particular, it is known that the risk of cervical cancer increases as women who started having sex at a young age or who had sex with multiple people, and the incidence rate increased even if they smoked cigarettes or had chronically weakened immune system.
Fortunately, the number of cervical cancer cases in Korea is decreasing every year. According to the ‘2019 National Cancer Registration Statistics’, the incidence rate (age-standardized incidence) of cervical cancer per 100,000 people in Korea was 4.8, a decrease of 1.6 in 10 years from 6.4 in 2009. Compared to 1999 (9.7 people) 20 years ago, this number has decreased by more than half.
However, there is no need to be reassured. In Korea, more than 60,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year, and regarding 3,500 are newly diagnosed each year. In 2019, 898 people died from cervical cancer. That is, 2.5 people a day still die from cervical cancer.
The recent decrease in cervical cancer is due to preventive policies such as the free vaccination program for HPV, which causes cervical cancer, and the national cervical cancer screening program. This shows that HPV vaccination and regular checkups are important to prevent cervical cancer, and it is possible to prevent cervical cancer sufficiently.
◇ Self-diagnosis is difficult because there are no early symptoms… Regular check-up required = The typical early symptom of cervical cancer is abnormal vaginal bleeding. You may experience vaginal bleeding, especially during sexual intercourse. In addition, as the cancer progresses, abnormal bleeding other than menstruation, foul-smelling vaginal or hemorrhagic discharge, pelvic pain, difficulty urinating, and weight loss may appear. However, there are many cases where there are no symptoms, so it is necessary to check it through regular check-ups.
If cervical cancer develops, it is treated with surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy. Treatment is selected in consideration of the stage and size of the cancer, and the patient’s health status and age. If the cancer has penetrated deeply around the uterus, the uterus must be removed or undergo chemotherapy. Depending on the condition, the two treatments may be combined.
Cervical cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to self-diagnose because there are often no symptoms in the early stages. If any abnormal symptoms occur, you should visit a hospital and consult with a specialist, and then undergo necessary tests.
◇ Prevention by vaccination… 20 years of age or older Screening once every two years = Prevention of cervical cancer is of utmost importance. To do this, regular checkups and HPV vaccination are required. According to the National Cancer Screening Recommendation, women over the age of 20 should undergo cervical cancer screening once every two years. The test is performed with a simple cervical cytology.
Cervical cancer vaccination prevents infection with HPV. The recommended age for vaccination is women aged 9 to 26 years. As it was included in the National Immunization Program (NIP) in 2016, 12-year-old girls can receive the vaccine free of charge. The recently revised guidelines for clinical inoculation have extended the age for vaccination to 45 years old for tetravalent or nivalent vaccines and to 55 years old for bivalent vaccines.
If all three vaccinations are administered, nearly 100% protection once morest HPV types 16 and 18 can be obtained, and even those who have already been infected can be prepared for the risk of reinfection. In particular, if a child or adolescent (9-14 years old) before sexual contact is vaccinated once morest cervical cancer, it is effective because the immune response is higher than that given at an older age.
There are often people who avoid getting vaccinated because of false information regarding the side effects of the cervical cancer vaccine. The risk of side effects from the cervical cancer vaccine is lower than that of the flu or other vaccines, and it is relatively safe. Be sure to vaccinate.
