Now a woman can also undergo the cervical cancer screening test at home, Külli Erlang told “Terevision”. According to Erlang, nearly 80% of women are believed to contract this virus from their partner at some point in their lives, which can develop into cancer over a long period of time.
Estonia has reached the top three in Europe in terms of cervical cancer incidence, and we are also at the top of the cervical cancer mortality ranking.
“In other European countries, with the advent of screening, the incidence has decreased, but not in Estonia,” said Külli Erlang, head of the women’s counseling department at the East Tallinn Central Hospital. “So that the incidence decreases and screening works, many things are necessary: that the person comes for the test, that the test is good, that the laboratories are good, that the follow-up is good” good. But the most important thing is that the woman is tested. The problem is also the fact that, in addition to the high morbidity, we receive many diagnoses of advanced cervical cancer. The concern is also that cervical cancer symptoms, such as bleeding and pain, only come later. At first the woman feels nothing.”
The screening test can also be done at home
This year, screening participation is offered in several ways. “You can make an appointment with a midwife, but now the test can also be done at home,” Erlang explained. “The test can be ordered in the mail order environment or at a parcel vending machine. It is very simple to do the test, it even comes with instructions. A person takes the test at home, sends it by post, the test goes to the laboratory and he receives the answer. If during the home test the HPV virus is actually found, the woman will find out as he himself wanted. By e-mail, SMS or by calling. The information is also uploaded to the lock digital. If the test is positive, the person must make an appointment with the midwife to carry out further tests.”
Changes on the cervix can be treated even before cancer develops
“Cervical screening looks for HPV,” Erlang explained. “HPV is a virus that, remaining in the cells of a woman’s cervix for a long time, begins to cause changes in the cervix, and these changes lead over time, over the years, to cervical cancer. If a person does not have this virus, then cervical cancer cannot develop. The time is still long, it takes seven to ten years for a virus to develop into cancer. And this is also why we could prevent cervical cancer a lot. Let’s find the virus, let’s follow these women, we find these changes in the cervix that occur before cancer, and we can treat these changes before the cancer develops.”
“A woman goes for a check-up once a year. If small changes have already occurred, then more often. Many changes return on their own,” Erlang added. “Many women are found to have HPV, the virus heals itself, the body overcomes it.”
According to Erlang, the virus is spread through sexual contact. “We get this virus from a partner. It is estimated that about 80% of women contract this virus at some point in their lives.”
“The virus is very common among young people, but the body is strong and understands that this virus is wrong and rejects it. This infection is cured and cervical cancer does not occur,” Erlang added.
Women aged between 30 and 65 are invited to the screening. “Precancerous conditions, which we can observe quite easily, can be treated very well, and then we don’t get to cervical cancer at all. If we find a small cancer well, then with treatment it is possible to cure it, with advanced cancer it is difficult. It may require chemotherapy and radiation and a whole person can no longer be healed.”
2024-01-26 07:58:00
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