Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women.
Outcomes for the disease have largely improved over the years, but sadly the death toll for cervical cancer remains high.
This is despite the disease being highly treatable as long as it's diagnosed early.
Women with early cervical cancers and pre-cancers usually have no symptoms, which adds to the growing number of deaths.
This, alongside poor screening awareness in many parts of the world, has meant cases have steadily increased.
Fortunately, a new test hopes to eradicate this mounting problem.
Test for cervical cancer
A new, accurate test has been developed in the fight against cervical cancer.
The disease is strongly related to age, with the highest incidence rates being in the 30 to 34 age group.
The test is said to help predict cervical cancer years before the disease begins to develop.
It does this by detecting cell changes and was developed by scientists.
The game-changing test will help benefit the detection but could also pave the way for other cancer tests.
During 2020 alone, more than 340,000 women died of the disease globally.
The vast majority of those deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries where women often have limited access to screening services, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
A new set of targets to help reduce cervical cancer rates worldwide has been implemented alongside the new test in the hope of bringing down deaths.
Cervical cancer symptoms to spot
Early signs of cervical cancer include:
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding
- Unusual discharge from the vagina
- Pain during sex
- Pain in the pelvic region.
If the disease has spread, however, these indications may include:
- Swelling of the legs
- Problems urinating or having a bowel movement
- Blood in the urine.
Regular screening
Regular screening tests is the best way to find cervical cancer.
“The tests for cervical cancer screening are the HPV test and the Pap test,” says the American Cancer Society.
“These tests can be done alone or at the same time (called a co-test).
“Regular screening has been shown to prevent cervical cancers and save lives.”
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