Symptoms of cervical cancer as Jersey Shore star Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi shares diagnosis
Former Jersey Shore star Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi has revealed that she's been diagnosed with cervical cancer.
The reality TV icon, 38, shared a lengthy TikTok sharing the news on Friday (20 February), adding that the cancer is stage one and that she's grateful it's been caught early.
In the social media post, she explained how she was diagnosed following a cone biopsy, which is where a cone-shaped piece of tissue is removed from the cervix and examined.
She told her followers: "It came back stage one cervical cancer called adenocarcinoma. 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!"
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Polizzi explained that her next steps are to get a PET scan to find out if the cancer has spread to other parts of her body, before potentially undergoing a hysterectomy to remove her uterus and cervix in order to avoid chemotherapy and radiation.
The Jersey Shore star continued: “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. 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."
As per the NHS, cervical cancer is cancer that's found anywhere in the cervix, which is the opening between the vagina and the womb.
And according to Cancer Research UK's 2017-2019 data, there are around 3,300 new cervical cancer cases in the UK every year, which equates to roughly nine every day.
It's most common in women aged between 30 and 35, but it can happen at any age, and anyone with a cervix can get cervical cancer.
Nearly all cervical cancers are caused by an infection from certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV), and in the UK, you can reduce your risk by attending your cervical screening from the age of 25, which aims to find and treat changes to cells before they turn into cancer.
What are the symptoms of cervical cancer?
As outlined by the NHS, the most common symptoms of cervical cancer are:
- Vaginal bleeding that's unusual for you - including bleeding during or after sex, between your periods or after the menopause, or having heavier periods than usual
- Changes to your vaginal discharge
- Pain during sex
- Pain in your lower back, between your hip bones (pelvis), or in your lower tummy
Of course, these signs have a lot of crossover with other conditions, such as fibroids or endometriosis, which can regularly cause similar symptoms.
However, it's important to be checked by a GP, especially if your symptoms change, get worse, or do not feel normal for you.
If the symptoms are caused by cancer, an early diagnosis means treatment is more likely to be successful.
As we say, cervical screening and HPV vaccination are the best ways to protect yourself from cervical cancer.
All women and people with a cervix between the ages of 25 and 64 are invited for regular cervical screening in the UK to help find and treat any changes in the cells of the cervix before they can turn into cancer.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
Topics: Health, Women's Health, NHS, Cancer, Celebrity
Madison Burgess