Heartbreaking stories
Nguyen Thi Hai (23 years old, Hoai Duc district, Hanoi - character name has been changed) never thought that a random screening would change her life. The biopsy results showed that she was in the pre-cancerous stage of the cervix, although she had no abnormal symptoms.
“If I hadn’t gone to the doctor, I probably would never have known I was facing this danger,” Hai shared in shock.
At the age of 25, Ms. Nguyen Bich Ha (Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi) discovered that she had stage 2 cervical cancer. Before that, she had symptoms such as increased vaginal discharge, pain and bleeding after sex, but subjectively thought that it was just a minor problem.
“I couldn’t believe it when the doctor diagnosed me. I’m not married, I don’t have children, but now everything seems to have collapsed,” Ms. Ha choked up.
The story of Ms. Le Bich Lien (30 years old, Ninh Binh - character name has been changed) makes listeners feel even more heartbroken. In stage 3 of cervical cancer, she had to struggle with the pain from chemotherapy and radiotherapy. But the most painful thing for her was not the disease, but seeing her daughter, less than 2 years old, having to leave her mother and live with her grandparents while she fought the disease.
Cervical cancer - a danger that spares no one
According to Globocan's 2020 report, Vietnam recorded more than 4,100 new cases of cervical cancer and more than 2,200 deaths. What is worrying is that this disease is getting younger with many cases in their twenties.
Doctor Tran Duc Cung from Hung Viet Oncology Hospital said: "We have met many patients only 21 - 25 years old with precancer and cervical cancer."
Cervical cancer progresses silently, with no obvious signs in the early stages. The main cause is the HPV virus, which is transmitted sexually without clinical manifestations. In the late stages, the patient must endure painful and expensive treatment. Symptoms such as abnormal bleeding after sex, changes in vaginal discharge, lower abdominal pain, etc. are signs that need to be checked immediately.
“Cervical cancer is not just a disease of middle-aged women. Heartbreaking stories from young people are a warning: this disease can attack anyone, regardless of age or lifestyle. Be proactive in protecting yourself and your loved ones with simple but practical actions: HPV vaccination, regular health check-ups, raising awareness of disease prevention. Don't let today's subjectivity become tomorrow's lingering pain,” Dr. Tran Duc Cung advised.
