“Young women know little about cervical cancer,” reveals a study coordinated by Paulo Santos, a researcher at CINTESIS@RISE/ Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP).

In this study, published in Frontiers in Public Health, the researchers questioned 270 young women aged 18 to 30 who were being treated at a health center in Vila Nova de Gaia, in the northern region of Portugal, about this type of cancer, which is potentially preventable through measures that are within everyone’s reach.

“This study reveals a low awareness of the causes and symptoms of cervical cancer among women. Only 10% of women had a good knowledge of the causes and symptoms of this disease,” they conclude.

More than 20% of women did not recognize human papillomavirus (HPV) infection as a cause of this type of cancer. Around 82% pointed to a weakened immune system and 85.9% indicated a lack of screening or irregular screening as the main cause.

In addition, 36% to 50% of the women did not identify the suspicious symptoms correctly, such as vaginal bleeding and discharge, pelvic pain and pain during sexual intercourse, among others.

For the researchers, this data could mean “less individual responsibility for the mechanisms of infection transmission”, with “greater potential for exposure to risk situations and poor adherence to routine screening” on the part of women.

In their conclusions, the authors of this research emphasize the need to improve knowledge about cervical cancer to take informed decisions.

“Knowing the symptoms of cervical cancer is associated with a higher level of awareness and can lead women to seek medical care earlier,” they stress. On the other hand, knowing the causes of the disease allows you to make the right decisions about prevention and screening measures.

In Portugal, screening is recommended for all women aged 25 to 60 by performing the HPV test in cervicovaginal cytology, which replaced the former Pap test.

Considered “a public health problem with a significant global impact”, cervical cancer is one of the most prevalent and deadly cancers in women, although it is preventable. In 2020, it was the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide and was responsible for almost 350,000 deaths. In Portugal that same year, it was the eighth most common cancer.

The World Health Organization (WHO) aims to eliminate this type of cancer through vaccination against HPV in girls, widespread screening and access to treatment. Promoting knowledge and literacy is key to empowering women to take an active and conscious part in their own health.

This research was funded by AICIB – Agency for Clinical Research and Biomedical Innovation and the Portuguese League against Cancer, in a partnership between CINTESIS, the RISE Associate Laboratory and USF Barão do Corvo, in Vila Nova de Gaia.