Better care for pregnant women with precancerous cervical cancer

New test provides information on the progression of precancerous lesions Preliminary stages of cervical cancer occur mainly in women between 25 and 35 years of age. The main risk factor for developing cervical cancer is the human papillomavirus (HPV). Surgery is the treatment of choice. However, such an operation is problematic for pregnant women: since a piece of the uterus is removed, the risk of bleeding and premature birth increases because the cervix shortens and is no longer stable enough. For this reason, affected women have so far had to come for check-ups several times during pregnancy. A new type of screening test performed via the cervix could improve the treatment of affected women in the future. A study involving researchers from the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) of the Hannover Medical School (MHH) used so-called methylation tests to monitor the progression of precancerous lesions on the cervix.