In January 2017, we learned that cervical cancer screening should be generalized from 2018. This cancer, the 10th that affects the most women in France, can be avoided if it is detected early, in particular through smears. Therefore, it is better to be well informed on the subject, not only on the nature of the disease itself, but also on the warning signs. It is one of the types of gynecological cancers (along with cancers of the ovaries and vagina among others) and is more common in postmenopausal women, that is to say between the ages of 40 and 74, but it is important to specify that it is not exclusive to this age group. According to the British National Health Service (NHS), the factors likely to trigger it include obesity, diabetes or hormone replacement therapy, that is to say the administration of female hormones aimed at reducing disturbing symptoms of menopause.
What are the symptoms ? Among the signs that should alert, we find in the first place unexplained vaginal bleeding, that is to say, which occurs outside periods of menstruation or after menopause. Also according to the NHS, blood loss is initially minimal and accompanied by watery losses, which become more and more important over time. Pain felt in the lower abdomen or during sexual intercourse are also symptoms, and if the cancer reaches a more advanced stage, they extend to the back, legs, pelvis. They are usually accompanied by loss of appetite, fatigue and nausea. But Dr. Helen Webberley highlights the unexplained blood loss, which is enough to make an appointment with her GP.
The treatment of cervical cancer differs depending on the stage reached and the general state of health of the person concerned. Surgery (hysterectomy) is the main treatment:the procedure involves removing the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes. This may be followed by radiotherapy or chemotherapy, which aim to destroy the remaining cancer cells, but again, it all depends on the stage of the disease. Hysterectomy implies that the patient can no longer have children, but for women wishing to become mothers, the NHS explains that there is the alternative of hormone treatment, but only in very specific circumstances.
For women between the ages of 25 and 65, we do not forget that prevention is essential and we take smears every 3 years, as doctors recommend.
