The Silent Disease
Number of new cases (UK 2006)
Cervical cancer kills over 940 women every year in the UK.
2,873
Here, Dr. Noreen A. Kassem discusses the silent disease.
What is Cervical Cancer? slowly without pain or other symptoms. If left
Cervical cancer is a life-threatening disease untreated, these cell changes in the cervix can
Number of deaths (UK 2007)
that affects the tissues of the cervix, the narrow grow into cancer, which can spread to other
opening below the uterus (womb) in women. parts of the body. By the time the cancer has
If cells in the cervical canal change or develop advanced, other symptoms appear including
abnormally, they can become cancerous. abnormal bleeding and discharge, pain, tender-
The good news is that cervical cancer is ness and bloating.
941
easier to detect and treat at an early stage
than other cancers and it is far less com- Causes and Risks
mon. Almost 940 women die from cervical Infection caused by the human papilloma
cancer every year in the UK, a relatively small virus (HPV) is thought to be responsible for
number when compared to the 12,000 women most cases of cervical cancer. Usually the
who die from breast cancer and 15,000 due to immune system is able to clear up the infec-
lung cancer every year in the UK. Worldwide, tion, but if the virus persists, it can cause
cervical cancer causes 1 in 10 deaths due to cervical cancer.
female cancers. Other sexually transmitted diseases such as
the herpes simplex virus and Chlamydia can
Symptoms also increase risk. The fraction of women with
Cervical cancer is called a ‘silent disease’ As HPV and other viruses are sexually cervical cancer who survive their
as abnormal changes in the cells can occur transmitted, having more than one partner disease for five years or more.
82 emel magazine |
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