Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi has revealed she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. The 38-year-oldJersey Shorestar onTikTokposted a video sharing her health update after getting the results of her recent cone biopsy. “It came back stage 1 cervical cancer called adenocarcinoma,” she said with a big sigh. “Obviously not the news I’ve been hoping for, but also not the worst news just because they caught it so early. Thank freaking God!”

Polizzi called for the importance of women getting routine pap smears. “I’m 38 years old, and I’ve been struggling with abnormal pap smears for three or four years now, and now look at me,” she said. “Instead of putting it off because I didn’t want to go, because I was hurt and scared, I just went and did it. And it was there, cancer is in there. But it’s stage 1, and it’s curable.”

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Cervical cancer begins on the surface of your cervix, happening when the cells begin to change to precancerous cells. HPV, or human papillomavirus infection, causes almost all cases of cervical cancer. HPV is a virus that spreads through sexual contact.

According to doctors, you can lower your risk of cervical cancer by getting regular cervical cancer screenings, like a Pap smear, and getting the HPV vaccine. Cervical cancer often does not lead to symptoms until it begins to spread. And that is why regular screenings and the HPV vaccine are so important.

Cervical cancer is highly treatable when found in the early stages.

Regular screenings through Pap Smear and HPV vaccination are the best ways to prevent cervical cancer

According to experts, despite cervical cancer being one of the few cancers that can be totally prevented, deaths continue to occur largely because of the delay in diagnosis. “The Pap smear becomes an important tool in the early diagnosis of the cervix before the development of fully formed cancers after the age of 20 years. The Pap smear itself does not reveal or diagnose cancer but finds irregular cells in the early stage before they develop into cancer, which can easily and effectively be treated then,” said Dr Mahima Kharbanda, Medical and Hemato-Oncologist, Sahyadri Hospitals.

According to Dr Kharbanda, early care through Pap smears significantly improves survival rates while preserving quality of life. “A woman, should she be caught in her precancerous stage or early stage of cancer, will have excellent chances of survival while also probably still being able to maintain her reproductive health. The unfortunate fact is that many women we see in oncology practice have late-stage cancer because they simply have waited too long to be screened,” she said.

“Also very important is the breaking of stigma and fear of gynaecological exams. The Pap smear is a quick and painless procedure that could eliminate years of pain, anguish, and expense resulting from cancer treatments. Together with early screening, the promulgation of safe sex practices and HPV vaccination helps to mitigate risks,” Dr Kharbanda added.

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