If you are immunised before puberty, cervical cancer is preventable and curable
As model and actress Poonam Pandey passed away after a battle with cervical cancer at 32, according to her manager, it raises concerns about the lack of awareness around cervical cancer, the need for prevention and the stigma around it. And yet there’s a vaccine which, when taken by girls before puberty, can stop its incidence in the first place.
Pandey’s manager said that the actor was diagnosed in the last stage of the dreaded disease sometime ago. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in India. As per a WHO report released on February 1, new cases of cervical cancer among Indian women is 17.7 per cent.
What causes cervical cancer?
Abnormal cells start growing and clustering around the cervix, which is the lower, narrow end of the uterus that connects to the vagina. It is caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which is transmitted during sex. Although the virus is removed by the body’s immune system, if it’s a high risk one, like HPV 16 or HPV 18, the chances of it remaining stubborn and causing cancer jump. There are 200 HPV viruses that sexually active people are infected with at some point in their lives. That doesn’t mean that all will develop cancer but a vaccine is needed to eliminate any risk.
What are signs and symptoms?
No discernible symptoms in the early stages. In the later stages, patient reports unusual vaginal bleeding, including post-coital bleeding, bleeding between periods or after menopause, watery or foul-smelling vaginal discharge and pelvic pain.