Cancer Awareness and Cervical Cancer

Tomas Moller^*
*Correspondence: Tomas Moller, Department for Medical Genetics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway, Email:

Introduction

There is a need for more information regarding public attitudes and awareness of gynecologic cancers. We used a population-based citizen panel with a research purpose to find out how often people remember gynecologic cancers compared to other types of cancer and how important different information channels are in spreading cancer information. When compared to several other types of cancer, such as breast, hematologic, and lung cancer, gynecological cancers are less frequently mentioned by Norwegian citizens. Awareness of various types of cancer is influenced by a number of factors, including age and sex. The media is likely to have a significant impact on the types of cancer that people remember. It is thought that the public's and patients' participation in inquiries regarding health priorities and medical research is becoming increasingly important. Health care and research frameworks are heavily reliant on political decisions and the support of ideal organizations, both of which are influenced by public sentiment [1].

Description

Recognizing the connection between public awareness and funding will be crucial for increasing research efforts and improving treatment for gynecologic cancers, which will undoubtedly continue to be a global problem for female health in the coming decades. In addition to knowledge of cancers in general knowledge of gynecological cancers is essential for patients' disease prevention, early diagnosis, and informed decision-making. Increasing participation in HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccination and cervical cancer screening programs, for example, May also help to reduce health disparities by raising public awareness of gynecological cancers. We are currently conducting a large survey to determine Norwegian citizens' knowledge and attitudes regarding gynecologic cancer. The results of the first part of the study, in which we asked a sample of the Norwegian population to list the types of cancer they had heard of and from which sources they had received information about cancer, are presented in this paper. Health professionals and information brochures were less frequently mentioned as sources of cancer information in our survey than the media. Strategies to raise public awareness of diseases in general and gynecologic cancers in particular might be interested in the connection between the media, healthcare information, and public awareness [2].

The objective was to determine whether demographic factors influence the likelihood of mentioning any of the gynecological cancers and how frequently they were mentioned in comparison to other types of cancer. We also looked into digital media archives to see if there were any correlations between the frequencies with which respondents mentioned a particular type of cancer and the incidence, prevalence, mortality, or media coverage of the same type of cancer. We used an immunocompetent syngeneic ovarian cancer mouse model, which successfully simulates human metastatic ovarian cancer to determine whether APCS-540 can prevent ovarian cancer progression and metastasis. Treatment with APCS-540 increases survival in mice with ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer cells from BR-Luc mice were injected. Injected into twenty female FVB mice that were 6 weeks old. To confirm intraabdominal tumor growth, IVIS bioluminescence imaging images of the mice were taken one week after the injection of cancer cells. Mice had tumors that were growing, and two mice had no luciferin activity that could be measured. As a result, the experiment did not include the two mice that did not have tumors in which a healthier lifestyle consisting of diet, exercise, and avoiding obesity can reduce risk of a variety of conditions, including several types of cancer (such as breast, colon, and endometrial cancer) [3].

Treatment was randomly assigned to mice that had been confirmed to grow tumors. When compared to other types of cancer, such as breast, hematologic, and lung cancer, gynecologic cancers came in at number nine out of the 15 groups of cancers mentioned by participants in our study. A recent survey in Europe found that less than one fourth of women are aware of their age-specific risk of developing breast, ovarian, cervical, or endometrial cancer. In the United States, another survey found that women are not aware of obesity as a risk factor for endometrial cancer. This can be interpreted as a potential target for interventions designed to enhance prevention strategies and a relative lack of awareness and knowledge regarding gynecological cancers in these populations. Cervical cancer was mentioned the most frequently among gynecologic cancers, followed by ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer. Intriguingly, endometrial cancer is significantly more prevalent in Norway and other European nations indicating that people's recall of specific cancer types is influenced by more than just the incidence rate [4].

Even in age groups that are relevant, less than 20% of respondents mentioned endometrial cancer. This is unfortunate because early detection and preventative measures (such as weight loss and gestagens in hormonal replacement therapy) are critical to limiting the disease's impact. The HPV vaccination program that was related to the increased awareness of cervical cancer among younger women. A British study found that female students' knowledge of the connection between HPV infection and the development of cervical cancer had increased as a result of the implementation of the HPV vaccine. This suggests that there is a link between HPV vaccination and increased knowledge of cervical cancer. In a curious coincidence, the three cancers that ranked highest in the media archive search correspond to the three types of cancer that were listed most frequently in our survey. Our findings are likely to be representative of the general media coverage of the various cancers over time, despite the fact that the reported number of articles from our search may not be entirely accurate due to the phrasing of the search word or duplicated articles (such as cancers with multiple search terms, such as "blood cancer" and "leukemia"). One study found that there were peaks in cancer-related internet search terms following media coverage of famous people with cancer. It has been demonstrated that media coverage has an impact on the public's interest in cancer [5].

Conclusion

Cancers they have heard of, only 41% of Norwegians mentioned gynecological cancers, indicating that efforts should be made to raise awareness of these conditions. The likelihood of mentioning particular gynecologic cancers is influenced by age and sex, and media coverage is likely to play a significant role in the types of cancers that people remember. The public's knowledge of various aspects of gynecologic cancer (symptoms, treatment options, etc.) should be further investigated in future studies to direct strategies for information. Rather than health personnel or information brochures, our findings suggest that popular media is an information channel that should be investigated for the dissemination of health information in order to increase awareness. This connection is likely to be transferable between nations in which the media holds significant status. In point of fact, this is related to the broader issue of general public health literacy. The anticipated rise in these diseases could be slowed by increasing awareness of the ways.

Acknowledgement

None.

Conflict of Interest

None.

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