Popular model and actress Poonam Pandey passed away due to cervical cancer. She was just 32. Her manager confirmed the news through Poonam’s official social media handle.Reportedly, Poonam passed away at her residence in Uttar Pradesh. People on social media are shocked to hear about her sudden demise.
In this unfortunate situation, let’s delve into a deeper understanding of cervical cancer.Cervical cancer is the cancer of the lowermost part of a woman's uterus called the cervix. It is one of the leading causes of cancer in women in India as well as worldwide.
Symptomsoftheillness
Irregular or heavy periods
Bleeding between menses.
Postmenopausal vaginal bleeding
Bleeding and pain during and after intercourse
Bloody, watery, or foul-smelling vaginal discharge.
Non-specific symptoms like tiredness and swelling of legs.
Howisitcaused
99% of cervical cancers are due to an oncogenic virus called HPV (Human Papillomavirus) and there is a long lag period between the infection and progression to cancer. This makes cervical cancer one of the few preventable cancers by primary screening and vaccination. Here comes the role of regular check-ups by a gynecologist followed by a simple screening co-test which combines a PAP smear and HPV test. In this test, a gynecologist brushes out cells from the cervix and sends them to a laboratory for testing. A pathologist analyzes the PAP smear to look for virus-infected cells. This is combined with the HPV test which detects the presence of virus in the cells.