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While breast cancer gets a lot of attention and most women are knowledgeable about mammograms, many women are not as familiar with gynecologic cancers. Gynecologic cancers are far less common than breast cancer, but still, approximately 100,000 new cases of gynecologic cancers are diagnosed and about 32,000 deaths result from gynecologic cancer each year.
Gynecologic cancers are cancers that begin in the female reproductive organs. There are five individual cancers: cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal and vulvar. Out of these, only cervical cancer has a routine screening test – a pap smear – performed as a part of a well-woman exam.
What You Need To Know
When it comes to prevention and detection, the most important thing is to stay on top of yearly gynecological exams. Be aware of any unusual symptoms, and discuss any concerns to your women’s health provider.
Common symptoms of gynecologic cancers include:
- Unusual bleeding or discharge
- Changes to the menstrual cycle, such as periods being longer or heavier than normal
- Abdominal issues like feeling bloated or full quickly
- Pelvic pain or pressure
- Incontinence or frequent urination
- Constipation
- Dermatological changes to appearance
- Itching, pain or burning sensations
No list of cancer warning signs is “one size fits all,” so it’s crucial to be as proactive with reproductive health as possible. And even if you are, some gynecologic cancers are hard to detect. Ovarian cancer, which is the fifth most common cancer among women, is considered a hidden condition, because it often is diagnosed after it reaches an advanced stage.
What You Can Do
The first, and easiest, thing to do in regards to gynecologic health is to not skip or delay your yearly well-woman exam. Beyond that, there are a few other ways to take better care of your body.
- Discover your history: Find out about any health conditions that run your family, including any cancer history among your mother, sisters, grandmothers, and aunts. Share this information with your health provider.
- Get vaccinated: The HPV vaccine can be administered in females as early as their preteen years, which helps prevent human papillomavirus, an STI that can lead to gynecological cancers.
- Double check: If a provider recommends an imaging procedure, blood test or biopsy to look further into your health, don’t write it off as unnecessary.
- Be aware: While there’s no need to go down a search engine wormhole, knowing more about risk factors and warning signs can help detect gynecological cancers early on, when treatment is most likely to be successful.
Gynecologic cancers are treated with surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Treatment options are made in consultation with your physician and depend on the type and state of the cancer.
