Important Facts About Cervical Cancer

Believing things that are not necessarily true can make you careless in being aware of the true dangers of cervical cancer. Have you been married for more than three years or have sex and have never had a pap smear? Some women believe in information that is not necessarily true and delay checking themselves to detect the potential presence of cervical cancer. The following are the myths that circulate, as well as the facts that set it right, about the cancer located in the cervix.

Myth 1: Cervical cancer cannot be prevented.

Fact: Although not 100 percent protective, human papilloma or HPV virus infections can be prevented by the HPV vaccine. In addition, regular pap smears can cause abnormal cells to be detected early and treated before they become cancer cells. Avoiding certain actions such as having sex at an early age, changing sexual partners, and smoking can also reduce the risk of cervical cancer.

Myth 2: If you have been detected as having HPV, you must be suffering from cervical cancer.

Fact: Not necessarily. There are more than 100 types of HPV that do not all cause cervical cancer. HPV types 16 and 18 are the cause of 70 percent of cervical cancer cases.

Myth 3: Women who have already had an HPV vaccine no longer need to have a pap smear.

Fact: The HPV vaccine only protects you from the three most common types of viruses that cause cervical cancer. But there are other types of viruses that can also cause cancer. Thus, regular Pap smears every 3 years (for women aged 21 to 65 years) are still needed to detect the presence of abnormal cells.

Myth 4: Management of cervical cancer can make patients unable to have offspring anymore.

Fact: Hysterectomy or removal of the uterus and radiation can indeed make you unable to conceive again. However, there are other procedures for treating early-stage cervical cancer, such as trachectomy, which is a procedure to remove the cervix without including the uterus, so that patients who live it can still be pregnant. Handling of abnormal cells before turning into cancer is also less risk in causing infertility.

Myth 5: I don't feel any symptoms so it is not possible to have cervical cancer.

Fact: HPV infection in the early stages does not cause any symptoms. Symptoms such as bleeding after intercourse or between menstrual periods are generally experienced after abnormal cells have become cervical cancer. This is why routine Pap smears every 3 years are needed to detect if cell changes occur. In addition, not all cases of cervical cancer cause clear symptoms; there are some cases that do not cause symptoms before reaching an advanced stage.

Myth 6: If you have cervical cancer, it means your current partner is not loyal.

Fact: The HPV virus can stay in the body without showing any symptoms in a matter of years. In other words, it is difficult to ascertain when a person has cervical cancer.

Myth 7: I won't get the HPV virus while I have sex using a condom.

Fact: Condom use can indeed reduce the risk of transmission of the HPV virus. However, this step does not provide 100 percent protection because the virus can spread through skin contact that is not covered by condoms, such as the vulva, anus, perineal area, base of the penis, and scrotum (scrotum).

Myth 8: All people with cervical cancer will not have a life expectancy.

People with cervical cancer that are detected at an early stage and can have a life expectancy of 5 years reach 93 percent. Life expectancy is higher if cancer is diagnosed earlier. This is where the importance of checking yourself with a pap smear regularly. Knowing the right information can make you more aware of the dangers of cervical cancer and take appropriate precautions.