A woman who discovered what she thought was vaginitis was actually cancer is urging all women to be as concerned about vulvar cancer as they are about breast cancer.
The British daily The Sun reported the story of Pippa Sharp (49), who was diagnosed with vulvar cancer, a cancer that occurs in the external genital area of a woman. In August 2022, Pippa discovered that a sore and hard spot had formed on her left labia due to recurrent vaginitis. At first, she thought it was a symptom caused by vaginitis. However, as time passed, the spot turned into a lump, and when she told her doctor about it during a regular checkup in early January 2023, he prescribed antibiotics, saying it could be an infection. However, even after four days of taking the medication, the symptoms did not go away.
He had always been interested in his health, so he searched the NHS website and found that he had all the symptoms of vulvar cancer, from bloody discharge to persistent itching. He went back to the doctor for a biopsy, and four weeks later, he was diagnosed with a high probability of having stage 1 vulvar cancer. In March, he had surgery to remove the tumor. And he also found out that the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes around his groin. It was stage 3a, not stage 1.
After the surgery, Pippa underwent a total of 50 rounds of radiotherapy and 5 rounds of chemotherapy. Although she tolerated all of these treatments well, in January of this year, she noticed that her labia were swollen again. Then, a biopsy a month later showed that the cancer had spread to her right labia and anus. She then had surgery to remove part of her right labia and was planning to have additional radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but in July, a biopsy conducted again due to her concerns showed that the cancer had recurred in her right labia, so she ended up removing her entire right labia as well. She is currently waiting for the results of the remaining tests before starting additional treatment.
“I was embarrassed at first, but now I can’t keep quiet,” he said. “I hope people will become more aware of this deadly disease so they can catch it earlier than I did.” He recommended regular self-examinations at home to check for pain, lumps, and bumps, and to record any unusual discharge.
Vulvar cancer that occurs in the external genital area of the female genitalia… Regular self-examination helps in early diagnosis
Vulvar cancer is a relatively rare cancer that occurs in the external genital area of the female reproductive organ. 60% of vulvar cancers occur in the labia majora and labia minora, 15% in the clitoris, and 10% in the perineum.
According to the Central Cancer Registry data released in 2023, among the new cancers in Korea in 2021, vulvar cancer accounted for 0.16% of all female cancers, with 209 cases. By age group, those in their 60s were the most prevalent at 23.9%, followed by those in their 80s and older at 23.0% and those in their 70s at 22.5%.
Most cases of vulvar cancer have no symptoms. If symptoms are present, they may include: persistent itching of the vulvar area; pain or tenderness in the vulvar area; lumps, bumps, or ulcers in the vulvar area; changes in skin color or texture; abnormal bleeding, especially after menopause or after sexual intercourse; open wounds that do not heal; and abnormal discharge.
The cause of vulvar cancer is not clearly known, but human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN), age, and smoking are known risk factors.
There is no way to detect it early, but regular self-examinations, as recommended by the woman in the story, are helpful. Look carefully for dark spots, lumps, or bumps on the vulva, changes in skin color, especially new white, red, or dark spots, and ulcers or sores. Self-examinations should be performed on a certain date each month.
Since vulvar cancer is easy to diagnose early, if you pay a little attention, you can find precancerous lesions early. Be sure to see a gynecologist at least once a year and report any changes you find through self-examination to your doctor.
The post “It stings and crusts”… I thought it was vaginitis, but it was ‘cancer’, don’t be ashamed appeared first on Comedy.com.
Source: kormedi.com
