Cervical cancer often shows no symptoms until it is advanced, which is why health experts push early screening and the HPV vaccine.
Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that can be caught — and often prevented — long before it becomes deadly. The difficulty is that the early warning signs are usually invisible.
A health explainer published by The Ghana Report sets out three practical steps women can take to look after their cervical health: regular screening, vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV), and safer sexual practices.
The piece notes that about 11,500 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, and warns that abnormal cells in the cervix frequently develop quietly, producing no symptoms until the disease has reached a dangerously late stage. That is the core argument for screening: by the time a woman feels something is wrong, the window for simple treatment may already have closed.
1. Go for regular screening
Two tests are commonly used. The Pap test, also called a smear, involves a health worker collecting a sample of cells from the cervix and examining them for changes or abnormalities. The HPV test looks instead for the presence of human papillomavirus, a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can lead to cervical cancer.
Both tests are designed to pick up precancerous or cancerous changes before they progress into something more serious.
On timing, the guidance cited is age-based. Women aged 21 to 29 are advised to have a Pap test every three years. Women aged 30 to 65 are advised to have both a Pap test and an HPV test every five years. Women over 65 should speak directly to their doctor, who may recommend a different schedule depending on their health history and risk factors.
2. Take the HPV vaccine
The HPV vaccine works by prompting the immune system to produce antibodies against the virus, and it can prevent cervical cancer as well as other HPV-related diseases.
The recommended age range is 9 to 12 years. The reasoning is straightforward: the vaccine offers the strongest protection when it is given before a young person becomes sexually active.
For Ghanaian families abroad, particularly in the United States, this vaccine is typically part of the routine childhood immunisation schedule and is worth raising with a paediatrician.
3. Practise safer sex
Because HPV is sexually transmitted, barrier methods matter. Condoms reduce the exchange of bodily fluids and lower the risk of transmission, and the advice is to use them during vaginal, anal and oral sex.
Beyond protection, the explainer stresses honest conversation between partners about STI testing, vaccination status and sexual health generally.
The underlying message is simple. Prevention — a test, a vaccine, a condom — is far cheaper and far easier to access than cancer treatment.
