Cervical cancer is a malignant tumour of the cervix, which is the lowest part of the uterus (womb).
Cervical cancer is the 4th most common cancer in women. In 2018, 570,000 women were diagnosed
globally with cervical cancer and 311,000 died of it (Ferlay et al., 2018). In Nigeria, cervical cancer is the
2nd most common cancer among women, after breast cancer.

Cervical cancer is often caused by a long-lasting infection with Human papillomavirus (HPV), which is
contacted during sexual contact, through contaminated hospital equipment or from mother to child.
Women above 30years, and sexually active women are at risk.

Symptoms of cervical cancer include unusual vaginal bleeding or spotting, bleeding after sexual
intercourse, postmenopausal spotting or bleeding, increased vaginal discharge, foul-smelling vaginal
discharge, weight loss, fatigue, loss of appetite and persistent back, pelvic or leg pain.

Laboratory Diagnosis of cervical cancer is done by Papanicolaou (PAP smear test) and Human
Papillomavirus (HPV) screening. Serum tumor biomarkers such as Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA),
Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen (SCC Ag) and CA19-9 are used for detecting and monitoring cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is one of the most successfully treatable forms of cancer if detected early and managed effectively. This is possible when laboratory diagnosis is done early and effectively.

Cervical cancer is prevented by safe sexual practices, HPV vaccination, early Papanicolaou screening and
treatment of precancerous lesions.

If you are a sexually active woman or you notice any of the symptoms listed above, visit MedBioTechLab for screening.

References:
Henry, N. L. Hayes, D. F. Cancer biomarkers. Molecular Oncology 6, 140–146,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molonc.2012.01.010 (2012).
https://www.nature.com/articles/
theconversation.com
www.who.int