In January, health organizations around the country work towards increasing awareness of cervical cancer, one of the most common cancers affecting women.
Cervical cancer symptoms mirror many other gynecological symptoms, making it very difficult to diagnose. However, if you are suffering from heavier -than-normal periods, bleeding after menopause, bleeding after intercourse, vaginal discharge, chronic pelvic or back pain, or bleeding between periods, make sure that you consult your doctor immediately.
The National Cancer Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, has especially good news for women. The National Cancer Institute announced successful results in a new study that uses artificial intelligence (as opposed to typical Pap tests) to improve the accuracy of screening for cervical cancer.
The results of the study were published recently in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. According to the researchers, a fully automated system with algorithms will now help screen for cervical cancer whenever there is a positive test for primary human papillomavirus or HPV. The researchers say that this new system could increase the efficiency of cervical cancer screening, ensuring that many of these types of tumours are detected well ahead of time and resulting in better outcomes for patients.
Many cancers will qualify a person for Social Security disability benefits. If your cervical cancer is expected to make it impossible for you to go to work, then you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits to help you meet your expenses during this critical time. In order to qualify for benefits, your cancer must be serious enough to prevent you from working and must be expected to be present for at least 12 months. It must also be chronic and persistent, which means it must be unresponsive to typical treatments like chemotherapy.