Ho Chi Minh City , infected with HPV virus, had cervical conization but did not return for a check-up. After 6 years, the precancerous condition turned into cancer.
Ms. Ngoc Minh, 41 years old (District 2, Ho Chi Minh City) went to a gynecological examination at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City 6 years ago. When performing a cervical cancer screening test, she discovered that she was infected with HPV virus strains 16 and 18, which are high risk for causing cancer. The doctor examined and biopsied her cervix and diagnosed her with cervical precancer grade 3 (CIN3). Ms. Minh had a conization of her cervix at the same time.
After surgery, the doctor asked the patient to return for a check-up 3 months later to re-evaluate the condition and plan further treatment. However, due to family matters, the patient forgot to schedule a follow-up appointment after the conization. In 2020, when Covid-19 broke out, she focused on treating her vestibular disease and completely forgot about the gynecological examination afterwards. At the end of 2022, Ms. Minh went to Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for a general health check-up and discovered that she was infected with HPV 18.
The patient underwent colposcopy and biopsy, which revealed in situ cervical cancer. A second cone biopsy was performed, and the surgical results confirmed in situ cervical squamous cell carcinoma. Because she had given birth to enough children, the patient underwent a total hysterectomy, leaving both ovaries intact to prevent cancer recurrence.
The first thing after returning home, Ms. Minh took her two daughters, 9 and 12 years old, to get vaccinated against HPV to prevent cervical cancer at VNVC District 2. "I have the disease, I cannot be subjective about my children's health," she said.
Dr. Nguyen Ba My Nhi, Director of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Center, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that many studies have shown that the process of women infected with HPV virus to develop cancer can take 10-20 years. However, in some cases, HPV infection only takes 3-5 years, or even 1-2 years, to develop into cancer. The case of Ms. Ngoc Minh is an example.
According to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, cervical cancer can recur months or years after treatment. The organization reports that nearly 35% of cases of cervical cancer recur or have persistent disease. Most recurrences occur within 2 years of treatment.
Ms. Minh had laparoscopic hysterectomy to treat cancer. Photo: Tue Diem
There is currently no cure for HPV, while 99% of cervical cancers are caused by this virus. Treatment methods help reduce symptoms, slow down the development of the virus, but do not completely eliminate the virus. Therefore, when HPV invades, the body will naturally produce immunity to fight it. Only those with strong immunity can completely destroy the virus. In other cases, the virus can still evade the body's immune system when it proliferates excessively, and when conditions are favorable, it will flare up again, over time forming precancerous and cancerous lesions.
In addition, many other types of tumors in the body can recur due to small areas of disease-causing cells remaining after surgery. Doctor My Nhi explained that in Ms. Minh's case, the possibility that even after the tip was removed, there were still precancerous lesions of grade 3 left. Over time, they multiply and develop into cancer. Depending on the type of cancer and the person's resistance, recurrence varies by location: local, nearby, distant recurrence.
From the case of patient Minh, Dr. My Nhi recommends that regular examination and screening for gynecological cancer is important. Gynecological diseases affect women's health and fertility. For example, the case of Ms. Minh infected with HPV virus strains 16, 18 progressed to pre-cancerous cervix and cancer when not closely monitored after treatment.
Doctor My Nhi added that currently, very few women take the initiative to have regular gynecological check-ups. Usually, patients only go to the doctor when their body shows signs such as abdominal pain, infection, pain and itching in the genital area; abnormal vaginal bleeding or when they need to implement family planning measures, treat infertility...
According to GLOBOCAN, in 2020, cervical cancer claimed the lives of about 340,000 women worldwide . In Vietnam, the number of new cases was about 4,000 cases and nearly 2,200 deaths. To prevent the disease, doctors recommend maintaining a healthy lifestyle, being faithful to your partner, getting vaccinated against HPV for women aged 9-26, and having regular gynecological examinations every 6-12 months.
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