"How I knew I had cervical cancer": Survivors share early symptoms

As per the World Health Organisation (WHO) data, cervical cancer caused 342 000 deaths in 2020. According to the GLOBOCAN 2018 report, every year, 96,922 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in India and 60,078 die from the disease.

Early signs of cervical cancer you should never ignore

Rose T, a cervical cancer survivor, ignored the initial symptoms like abdominal cramps and "just accepted that it was part of growing older".

Jennie was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1964 when she was 32 years old. "I did not have any symptoms. I went in for my annual gynecological exam and got a Pap test. My results came back as irregular so the doctor recommended more testing. The results showed that I had cervical cancer," she has shared her story on the US CDC portal.

For Nancy Fawn Downing, the symptoms of cervical cancer were similar to those seen during menopause.

Taking her experience to Quora, Nancy writes: I had cervical cancer growing for about 30 years before I learned I had it.

I was in my late fifties. I had been in menopause for two years.

I had the same type symptoms that you have going through menopause but nothing that made me think I needed to see a doctor.

I hadn’t had sex in many years and I also hadn’t had regular Pap smears.


Now that everyone has insurance, the best advice I can give is to be tested regularly.

I didn’t have strong enough symptoms or insurance for many years.

I’m a stage 3 without chemo or radiation- just surgery, and I’m doing quite well in year 3.

Cervical cancer can be treated if the disease is diagnosed at an early stage. Early medical intervention can check the progress of the disease and can help the patient recover.

"A major cause of high burden of cervical cancer in India is lack of awareness and lack of cervical screening due to which many cases are detected in advanced stages leading to high mortality rates. Before cancer manifests itself, screening can detect abnormalities in the cervix. It can also detect cervical cancer at an early stage, when it has not spread and is amenable to curative treatable," says Dr. Neha Kumar, Senior Consultant, Gynecologic Oncology, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad.

"Every three years, women between the ages of 21 and 29 should get a Pap test. From the age of 30, the optimal method of screening is to undergo testing every five years with a Pap test and an HPV test, OR every three years with a Pap test, until the age of 65," she recommends.

The common symptoms seen in those who have had cervical cancer are: vaginal discharge specially if it is foul smelling, postcoital bleeding or spotting, bleeding in between regular menstrual periods, bleeding or spotting in a lady who is menopausal and lower abdominal pain and even sometimes back pain, says Dr Richa Bansal - Consultant, Gynae Oncology & Robotic Surgery, Apollo Cancer Centres, Navi Mumbai and urges women to seek medical help at the earliest.

Several other symptoms develop gradually depending on the progress of the disease.

"Many women with cervical cancer don’t realize they have the disease early on, because it usually doesn’t cause symptoms if the cervical cancer is in early stage," says Dr Bansal. "Sometimes women may experience abnormal vaginal bleeding, postcoital bleeding (bleeding after sexual contact), bleeding or spotting in between periods, bleeding after menopause and vaginal discharge. If cervical cancer has progressed to a more advanced stage, then women may experience backache, lower abdominal pain, bleeding in urine or in stools, swelling of the leg or pain radiating to one leg," she adds.

Apart from these symptoms other signs like irregular looking cervix, or any growth on cervix or a hard cervix can also indicate cancerous growth.

"Cervical cancer when diagnosed in stage 1 is potentially curable with the surgery alone. The standard surgical procedure is radical abdominal hysterectomy with pelvic lymph nodal dissection. This surgery is not just removal of the uterus and cervix but is a more radical procedure where all the supporting tissues surrounding the uterus and cervix are removed from the pelvis," explains Dr Bansal.

"Cervical cancer, when diagnosed in more advanced stages of the disease, requires Radiation therapy and Chemotherapy. As the stage of the disease at the time of the diagnosis advances and the cancer is diagnosed late, the treatment protocols become more complicated requiring combination of radiation and chemotherapy and also the chances of cure decreases," the expert adds.