How often should I have a gynecological TCT examination?

Cervical cancer is still one of the most common gynecological malignant tumors. However, cervical cancer has a characteristic that other malignant cancers do not have: it is the only cancer with an unknown cause at this stage. Moreover, the cervical pathological process is long, and there is a latent period of at least 5-10 years from the development of precancerous lesions to malignant invasive cervical cancer. Therefore, if you choose the right routine physical examination, more than 90% of cervical cancer can be prevented and eliminated in the "precancerous lesions" stage. So how should cervical cancer screening be carried out?

I just started cervical cancer screening at the age of 21.

When does cervical cancer screening first begin? The new screening manual recommends that women start initial screening at the age of 21. Regardless of the age of first sexual intercourse or other risk factors, women under 21 should not undergo cervical cancer screening. The main reason is that it is very rare for young women to suffer from cervical cancer. Previous screening data show that there is no significant change in the incidence of cervical cancer in women under the age of 21. Screening may lead to unnecessary vaginal examinations or medical treatments. And most cervical diseases caused by HPV infection can be cured.

Experts say that if the age of first sexual intercourse is too early, it is recommended that women conduct initial screening in advance, generally once a year for a cytology test. If the average result is normal for two consecutive years, the screening interval can be appropriately increased to once every three years. For high-risk female groups, the screening interval should be shorter, preferably once a year.

The “three steps” of cervical cancer screening.

Doctors said that there are currently three main methods for screening cervical cancer in women:

The first step is cervical cytology. The first is cervical TCT. TCT testing is the first step in the detection of cervical precancerous lesions. TCT can detect early diseased cells. It is more objective, more accurate and has no human bias than the basic Pap test, and can ensure true early diagnosis (the diagnosis rate is over 90%). The second is the human papillomavirus (HPV) infection test. HPV virus is the culprit of cervical cancer, and the peak infection periods are in the two age groups of 18-28 and 40-44 years old. After being infected with HPV, most women can eliminate HPV by themselves. However, less than 10% of women cannot completely eliminate HPV in their bodies. In this case, HPV combines with DNA, changes the properties of the squamous cells on the surface of the cervix, and slowly corrodes the normal cervix until malignancy occurs. The sensitivity of HPV DNA testing in screening cervical precancerous lesions is better than that of traditional Papanicolaou acid-fast staining cytology.

Step 2: Colposcopy.

Step 3: Cervical puncture biopsy. When HPV is positive or there is an abnormality in cervical TCT, a colposcopy is required in conjunction with a cervical puncture biopsy for diagnosis.

Experts say that for women, even if they are infected with the HPV virus, it does not mean that they will definitely develop cervical cancer. It is just that there is a possibility of developing cervical cancer. Because the body's immune system can eliminate the virus, the cervical TCT and HPV should be checked annually, and treatment should be carried out immediately if any abnormality is found. In this way, cervical cancer can be eliminated in the early stages. Some women with weaker immunity only need to do regular anti-cancer screening every year to avoid the potential risk of cervical cancer.

Cervical smear screening is not strongly recommended

In the past, cervical smears were used to screen for cervical cancer. The method is to take a small amount of cell samples from the cervix, put them on a glass lens, and look under a microscope to see if there are any abnormalities. Experts say that depending on the doctor's smear technique or the way the film is read,

Cervical smears can collect few valuable cells, have a low detection rate, and cannot detect precancerous lesions, but they are economically cost-effective and are currently mostly used in areas with low economic development.