Uterine cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancerous) cells grow in the uterine cervix. The uterine cervix is the lower and narrowest part of the uterus (a hollow pear-shaped organ where the fetus grows). Likewise, the uterine cervix connects the uterus with the vagina (birth canal).
Cervical cancer grows slowly with time. Before cervical cancer develops, normal cells go through a series of progressive premalignant or dysplastic changes. Premalignant cells, however, can disappear with no treatment, remain the same or turn into cancerous cells over many years.

3 ways of preventing cervical cancer
To prevent the development of new cases, risk and protective factors are analyzed. Everything that increases the probability of developing cervical cancer is known as a risk factor for cancer.
On the other hand, anything that reduces your odds of developing cancer is cal a protective factor against cancer.
Some risk factors for cancer can be prevented, but many of them cannot. For example, smoking as well as inheriting certain genes are both risk factors for some types of cancer, but only smoking can be avoided. Regular exercise and a healthy diet can be protective factors against some types of cancer.
Avoiding risk factors and increasing protective factors might reduce your risk, but it does not mean you will not develop cancer.
There are three ways of preventing cervical cancer:
1- Primary prevention
It is the vaccination against the main cause of this disease: the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). The lesions caused by the virus can be diagnosed even many years after Aqcquiring the infection.
Today, vaccination against HPV is stipulated in the vaccination calendar for girls of ages 9-12, in Spain as well as in the great majority of countries.
In the next few years, it will also be included for boys to provide total immunity to the population. Although there are almost 100 different subtypes of HPV, the current vaccine provides coverage against the 9 most frequent subtypes.
→ This might interest you: Is it possible for women with cervical cancer to become mothers
2- Secondary prevention
It is achieved through the Pap smear test or cervical cytology.
The goal here is to find premalignant cells before cancer develops. It is a procedure used to collect uterine cervix cells so they can be observed under a microscope in the laboratory to search for premalignant and malignant cells.
The Papanicolau test or cervical cytology is routinely performed (every 1-3 years) on asymptomatic women of ages 25 through 65.
Another current way of secondary prevention is the HPV detection test. It is a more precise test than cervical cytology performed by taking a sample of the uterine cervix, similar to a pap smear. In this case, the test can be done every 5 years if HPV is not detected.
On the other hand, if the test detects the presence of HPV, more tests must be performed (cervical cytology – colposcopy) aiming at establishing whether the infection has caused premalignant or malignant changes or not in the uterine cervix.
3- Tertiary prevention
This is the least desirable and effective technique because refers to determining the best treatment for each woman with cervical cancer.
It is important to evaluate each case within multidisciplinary teams to precisely understand the spread of the tumor in each patient and establish the best individualized treatment strategy.
7 key aspects to reduce cervical cancer risk
Depending on your age, general health status, and individual risk of developing cervical cancer, there are a few things you can attempt to prevent premalignant and malignant uterine cervix lesions.
1-Get vaccinated against HPV
There are available vaccines that can help protect children and young adults against some HPV infections. These vaccines protect against infection with the types of HPV most frequently related to cancer, as well as some types that can cause anal and genital warts.
Vaccines only work to prevent HPV infection; so they will not treat an already existing infection. This is why to be more effective, vaccines against HPV should be administered before a person is exposed to HPV, during adolescence.
Vaccines are administered by intramuscular injections in 3 doses 6 months apart. Side effects are usually mild. The most common ones are redness, swelling, and pain in the injection site.
2-Limit HPV exposure
HPV is transmitted from one person to another during skin-to-skin contact with an infected body part, usually during either oral, vaginal, or anal sexual relations. However, the virus can also be transmitted without sexual relations, through hand or genital contact.
HPV infection seems to propagate from one part of the body to another. This means that infection can start in the uterine cervix and then spread to the vagina and the vulva.
Most of the time, the immunologic system can fight HPV infection before cancer develops. Just a few women infected with HPV develop cervical cancer.
Limiting the number of sex partners and avoiding sexual intercourse with people who have had multiple sex partners can reduce the risk of exposure to HPV. It must be kept in mind that someone can have HPV for years and not develop symptoms. Thus, someone can have the virus and transmit it without knowing.
3-Wearing condoms
Condoms provide some protection against HPV, although they do not fully prevent infection.
A reason why condoms cannot fully protect against infection is that they do not cover all areas of the body susceptible to being infected by HPV, such as the skin of the genital and anal areas. Nevertheless, condoms provide some protection against HPV and can also help protect against HIV and some other sexually transmitted diseases.
4-Not smoking
Current and past smokers have twice or thrice the risk of premalignant and malignant uterine cervix lesions.
The main reason for this is that tobacco is a potent immunosuppressor and promotes HPV persistence. The risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked per day and the time the woman has smoked.
5-Not taking oral contraceptives for a long time
Among women infected with HPV, ones who have taken oral contraceptives (“the pill”) for 5 to 9 years, have a 3 times higher cervical cancer risk than women who have never used oral contraceptives. The risk is 4 times higher after 10 years or more of using them.
In women who stop taking oral contraceptives for 10 years, the risk of cervical cancer goes back to being the same as in women who never used oral contraceptives.
6-Avoid early start of sexual relations or having multiple sex partners
The risk of HPV infection is higher in women who start having sexual relations before the age of 18, and in women who have had 6 or more sexual partners.
7- Having a strong immune system
A weak immune system due to immunosuppression increases the risk of HPV infection and cervical cancer. Immunosuppression weakens the body’s ability to fight infections and other diseases.
Immunosuppression can be due to the following and other conditions:
● Tobacco smoking
● Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
● Drugs administered to prevent rejection of an organ after a transplant, such as high-dose corticosteroids. Women who undergo an organ transplant receive medications to weaken the body’s immune system and help prevent the organ’s rejection.
Thus, it is highly advisable that women extensively understand what are the ways to prevent cervical cancer and that they visit a Gynecology specialist periodically to comply with all of the prevention strategies and avoid the disease.