Understanding Cervical Cancer
- The latest episode of Call the Midwife touches upon the topic of cervical cancer by detailing the story of a woman’s diagnosis after a smear test. It also shares the realities of infertility that some woman will face after having a hysterectomy to treat the disease.
- Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV. The HPV vaccine reduces a woman’s risk of developing cervical cancer.
- Cervical cancer can be treated with a hysterectomy, but this treatment affects fertility, so it is important to consider your options.
The PBS period drama‘s newest episode — timed perfectly to January’s Cervical Cancer Awareness Month — details character Sister Frances’ delivery of the devastating news of a cervical cancer diagnosis to a woman after a pap smear test. Sister Frances (played by Ella Brucolleri) also had to tell the young patient that she would no longer be able to have children after having a hysterectomy, or surgery to remove the uterus and, most likely, the cervix, to treat the disease.
Read MoreCervical screening – another great post-war medical innovation. Our health outcomes can be so improved by early detection – however uncomfortable, inconvenient or frightening it might seem to us. xxx #CallTheMidwife @BBCOne @BBCiPlayer pic.twitter.com/GRhwOO04fc
Call the Midwife (@CallTheMidwife1) January 9, 2022
“Cervical screening – another great post-war medical innovation,” the tweet reads. “Our health outcomes can be so improved by early detection – however uncomfortable, inconvenient or frightening it might seem to us.”
Cervical cancer screening is critically important because an earlier diagnosis can mean a better prognosis with broader treatment options. The American Cancer Society recommends that cervical cancer screening begin at age 25, and people aged 25 to 65 should have a primary HPV test, an HPV test done by itself for screening, every 5 years. If primary HPV testing is not available, however, screening may be done with either a co-test that combines an HPV test with a Papanicolaou (Pap) test every 5 years or a Pap test alone every 3 years.
Understanding Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer begins in the cells lining the cervix the lower part of the womb (uterus). Treatment options for cervical cancer include surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. HPV (human papillomavirus), a sexually-transmitted virus, causes more than 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. In fact, a recent study showed that HPV vaccines have reduced the cervical cancer rates of U.K. women by up to a whopping 87 percent.
And while Dr. Susan Vadaparampil, the associate center director of community outreach, engagement and equity at Moffitt Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet there are few medical strategies that totally prevent against getting cancer in the first place, she emphasized that data from countries with high rates of vaccine coverages shows decreases in HPV-related pre-cancer and cancer particularly so in the case of cervical cancer.
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"We have a safe and effective vaccine to prevent HPV-related cancer," Dr. Vadaparampil told SurvivorNet. "It is widely available, and costs are typically covered by private or public insurance."
But it's important to note, however, that other risk factors like smoking can make you about twice as likely to get cervical cancer as those who don't smoke.
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The most common symptoms of cervical cancer can include:
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding, such as bleeding after vaginal sex, bleeding after menopause, after douching, bleeding and spotting in between periods or having heavier or longer (menstrual) periods than usual.
- Unusual discharge from the vagina that may contain some blood and may occur between your periods or after menopause.
- Pain during sex.
- Pain in the pelvic region.
The Emotional Impact of Hysterectomies
Treatment paths for cervical cancer may vary depending on the stage of the cancer and whether or not a woman wants to maintain her fertility. Like the case of the young woman from Call the Midwife, a hysterectomy could be the best option for cervical cancer treatment. But it's not the best option for everyone, and there is much to consider since it can result in total infertility.
Adjusting to Life after Hysterectomy What to Expect, and How to Cope
Dr. Jeanne Carter is a sexual psychologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, she explains that hysterectomies may have a positive or negative emotional impact depending on a patient's relationship with the body part that is removed.
"Having those parts removed can be very devastating for them especially in some of our young patients who might have wanted those organs for reproductive options and may have to build families in different ways," Dr. Carter said. "Any time a woman loses part of her body, it's what that part of the body symbolized to them that really affects how they feel and adjust to it."
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