Health Stories
Cervical Cancer


Awareness:
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers. Cervical cancer is a cancer of the cervix and is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a very common sexually transmitted infection (STI), and in most cases there are no symptoms that someone has been infected. Most women with HPV infection do not develop cervical cancer. Screening is the best thing Métis women can do to find cervical cancer early enough for it to be successfully treated.


Symptoms:
In the early stages, cervical cancer usually doesn’t have symptoms, which makes it hard to detect.
Symptoms usually begin after the cancer has spread.
The signs or symptoms of cervical cancer include:

      • abnormal vaginal bleeding including between periods, after menopause and after sexual
        intercourse
      • abnormal or increased amount of vaginal discharge
      • foul-smelling vaginal discharge
      • unusually long or heavy periods
      • bleeding after a pelvic exam or vaginal douching
      • pain during sexual intercourse
      • difficulty urinating
      • difficulty having a bowel movement
      • leaking of urine or feces from the vagina
      • pain in the pelvic area or lower back that may go down one or both legs
      • leg swelling, often in one leg
      • loss of appetite
      • weight loss
      • shortness of breath
      • coughing up blood
      • chest or bone pain
      • fatigue

These symptoms may be caused by many conditions other than cervical cancer. Seeing a health
professional is essential for diagnosis.

Risks:
Only certain types of HPV cause cervical cancer. HPV is passed on during sexual contact, and both men and women can be infected. Most people come in contact with HPV at some point and do not know they have an infection. Most women are able to fight the infection without treatment. However, sometimes this does not happen and the HPV infection stays within the body, which over time can lead to cervical cancer.

Prevention:
Vaccination
The HPV vaccine is important because it prevents HPV infections that can cause cancer. In Ontario,
females between the ages of 9 and 45 and males between 9 and 26 are eligible for the publicly funded HPV vaccine.

A healthy lifestyle may reduce your chance of getting cervical cancer, as well as many other diseases.
Here are some simple things you can do:

      • Practice safe sex
      • Be smoke free
      • Limit alcohol
      • Maintain a healthy body weight


Screening:
Cancer screening is testing done on people who have no symptoms and generally feel fine, but are at risk of getting cancer. Regular screening is important because it can find some cancers or pre-cancers early when treatment has a better chance of working.

The Ontario Cervical Screening Program (OCSP) is a screening program for individuals with a cervix in Ontario to get screened for cervical cancer. The cervical screening test checks for types of HPV that can sometimes cause cervical cancer. It also checks for cell changes in the cervix caused by these types of HPV. The test does not check for types of HPV that do not cause cancer.

Research shows that most people need cervical screening every 5 years from ages 25 to 69.

The Ontario Cervical Screening Program recommends screening if you:

      • are at least 25 years old
      • are a woman, Two-Spirit person, transmasculine person or nonbinary person with a cervix
      • have ever had sexual contact with another person
      • do not have symptoms, like different bleeding or discharge (clear or yellow fluid) from the
        vagina (genital opening), and
      • are due for cervical screening according to the Ontario Cervical Screening Program’s recommendations

 

You should still get screened if you:

      • Have had the HPV vaccine
      • Feel healthy
      • Have been through menopause
      • Have not had any family members with cervical cancer
      • Have had sexual contact with only 1 person
      • Have had the same sexual partner for a long time
      • Have not had sexual contact in a long time
      • Are in a same-sex relationship


During the cervical screening test, a doctor, nurse practitioner, nurse or midwife will use a small, soft brush to take cells from the cervix so the lab can test the cells for types of HPV and cell changes. The person doing your test can try to make the test as comfortable as possible for you.

You will get the result of your cervical screening test by mail. The person who did your test will also get a copy of your result and can answer any questions you may have. They can also talk with you about next steps. Having a type of HPV that can sometimes cause cervical cancer does not necessarily mean you have cervical cancer, but you may need an exam called cervical colposcopy. Cervical colposcopy is an exam done by a specialist doctor, such as a gynecologist. During colposcopy, the specialist checks the cervix more closely than during a cervical screening test to see if anything does not look normal. Getting colposcopy can help you avoid getting cervical cancer.

You can lower your chance of getting cervical cancer by getting screened regularly. Your chance of getting cervical cancer goes up as you age, if you smoke and if you have ever had sexual contact with another person. Visit mycanceriq.ca to find out more about what can affect your chance of getting cervical cancer.

Call your doctor, nurse practitioner or midwife to make an appointment to get screened. If you do not have a health care provider, you can register for Health Care Connect at 1-800-445-1822.

 

References:
Cervical Screening Fact Sheet – Metis. Cancer Care Ontario.
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.cancercareontario.ca/sites/
ccocancercare/files/assets/ACCUCervicalFactSheet-Metis.pdf

Cervical Screening. Cancer Care Ontario.
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.cancercareontario.ca/sites/
ccocancercare/files/assets/CancerScreeningToolkitCervicalScreening.pdf

Symptoms of Cervical Cancer. Canadian Cancer Society.
https://cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-types/cervical/signs-and-symptoms

What you should know about cervical screening. Cancer Care Ontario.
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.cancercareontario.ca/sites/
ccocancercare/files/assets/HPV-Testing-Fact-Sheet-EN.pdf

Cervical Screening. Cancer Care Ontario.
https://www.cancercareontario.ca/en/types-of-cancer/cervical/screening