SoftCare Clinic
Book OnlineTR

Gynecological Exams / Tests

Early Detection of Women's Cancers

The Importance of Early Detection in Women's Cancers:

Despite significant progress in cancer treatment in recent years (2000 onward), early detection remains critically important.

In fact, identifying cells that could develop into cancer before the disease even begins is even more valuable than early diagnosis and treatment — it is the single most important factor in reducing cancer incidence and cancer-related deaths.

Let's take a look at the steps that should be followed to reduce and detect gynecological cancers early.

Cervical Cancer

Before 2000, cervical cancer was the most common gynecological cancer among women. Thanks to the ability of the Pap smear to detect pre-cancerous cells and diagnose cancer early, it now ranks second in frequency among gynecological cancers.

Cells in the cervix that show pre-cancerous changes typically take a long time — 2 to 10 years — to develop into cancer.

This is exactly what makes the Pap smear so important.

Since the introduction of the Pap smear, deaths from cervical cancer have decreased by 40%.

The Pap smear test was given to humanity by Georgios Papanikolaou, whose name it bears.

"Pap" (Papanikolaou) "Smear" means exactly what it sounds like — a smear test.

Risk Groups:

  • Early sexual activity
  • Having multiple sexual partners, or a partner who has multiple partners
  • Smoking
  • Immune system disorders

Cervical cancer is more common among women in these groups.

The Pap smear remains the single most important test for reducing the incidence of cervical cancer and detecting it early.

70% of women diagnosed with cervical cancer had never had a Pap smear test.

Having a Pap smear once a year is very important for women.

If three consecutive annual Pap smears over three years come back normal and the woman has no risk factors, testing can be done less frequently — for example, once every two years — though this decision should always be made by your doctor based on your individual risk profile.

We always recommend that women in higher-risk groups repeat their Pap smear more frequently.

For women in higher-risk groups, testing every 4–6 months is very important for early detection.

An even more significant development than diagnosis and treatment has occurred for cervical cancer.

A vaccine has been developed against high-risk types of HPV, the virus responsible for cervical cancer, and its effectiveness has been proven.

Screening Methods for Women's Cancers