OVER two women die of cervical cancer each day in England.
However, the aggressive disease can generally be cured if caught early.
Spot and treat it at the earliest stage – stage 1 – and you have a 91 per cent chance of surviving it.
But get diagnosed at stage 4, and you've only got a 5 per cent chance of surviving five years or longer.
That's why it's absolutely crucial that you know what changes to look out for and get them tested as soon as you see them.
According to Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, around 3,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year in the UK.
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It's the most common form of the disease in women aged 35 and under.
One common symptom of the disease is lower back pain, the NHS says.
This may be due to where the tumour is growing and what it's putting pressure on
The 8 other common symptoms include
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- Heavier periods
- Changes in your vaginal discharge
- Unusual vaginal bleeding
- Bleeding in between your periods
- Bleeding during/after sex
- Bleeding after menopause
- Pain during sex
- Pain in your pelvis
It's worth bearing in mind that lower back pain is not a definite sign of the condition, just a possible indicator.
Nevertheless, it should be investigated by your GP as soon as possible.
Usually, the disease is caused by persistent infections with the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is contracted through sex.
Thankfully, most young women in the UK are now immunised against it, although boys aren't.
In the UK, women between the ages of 25 and 64 are offered free cervical screenings, or smear tests, which looks for HPV on the cervix – the entrance to the womb from the vagina.
Detecting these cells and then removing them can prevent cervical cancer. It’s not a test for cervical cancer itself.
According to Cancer Research UK, smear test save around 2,000 lives each year.
HPV has also been linked to a rise in deadly throat cancer called oropharyngeal cancer.
Many of us who catch HPV won't have any symptoms.
However, sometimes it can cause genital warts which are small, non-cancerous lumps in or around your vagina, penis or anus.
Most of us catch HPV infections and are able to clear them completely.
But, a small number of people are not able to get rid of the infection, maybe due to a defect in a particular aspect of their immune system.
You can't fully protect yourself against HPV but condoms can go some way towards protecting you.
The HPV vaccine will safeguard you against most types of the virus, but not all
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