HOW can i prevent cervical cancer ?

• Get the HPV vaccine. It protects against the types of HPV that most often cause cervical, vaginal and vulvar cancers.
• See your doctor regularly for a Pap Test.
• Follow up with your doctor if your test results are not normal.
• Don't smoke
• Use condoms during sex.*
• Limit your number of sexual partners.

* HPV infection can occur in both male and female genital areas. While the effect of condoms in preventing HPV infection is unknown, condom use has been associated with a lower rate of cervical cancer.

WHAT tests can prevent or detect cervical cancer early ?
There are two test that can help prevent cervical cancer or find it early:

1. The Pap Test (Pap Smear) looks for precancers or cell changes on the cervix that might become cervical cancer if not treated.
2. The HPV Test looks for the virus that cause these cell changes seen at the Pap Test. Talk with your doctor about whether the HPV Test is right for you.

Cervical cancer is the easiest female cancer to prevent, with regular screening tests and follow-up. It is also highly curable when found and treated early.

WHAT causes cervical cancer ?
Almost all cervical cancer are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) - a common virus that can be passed from one person to another during sex.
HPV types are often referred to as "low-risk" (wart-causing) or "high-risk" (cancer causing). The types of HPV that can cause genital warts are not the same as the types that can cause cancer.
At least half of sexually active people will have HPV at some point in their lives but few will get cervical cancer. Usually, the body's immune system gets rid of the HPV infection naturally within two years.

WHAT raises a woman's chance of getting cervical cancer ?

• Human papillomavirus (HPV).
• Not having regular Pap Tests.
• Not following up with your doctor if you had a Pap Test result that is not normal.
• Smoking.
• Having HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, or another condition that makes it hard for your body to fight off health problems.

WHAT are the symptoms ?
Early cervical cancer does not usually cause signs and symptoms. Check immediately with a doctor if you have bleeding of discharge from the vagina that is not normal for you, e.g bleeding after sex.

Cervical Cancer

WHAT is cervical cancer ?
Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. When cancer in the cervix it is called cervical cancer.
The cervix is the lower, narrow end of the uterus. Also known as the womb, the uterus is where a baby grows when a woman is pregnant. The cervix connects the upper part of the uterus to the vagina (the birth canal).

WHO gets cervical cancer ?
All women are at risk for cervical cancer, especially those over the age of 30.
Every year, over 750 out of 1500 Malaysian women who are diagnosed with cervical cancer die because of late diagnosis.
It is important to get tested for cervical cancer because 6 out 10 cervical cancer occur in women who have never received a Pap test or have not been tested in the past five years.