Every year in Ireland, around 200 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed and 70 women die from the disease. A further 1,000 new cases of cervical pre-cancer are also diagnosed annually.
Women with cervical cancer or other cancers of the womb should ask their partners to wear condoms when having sex, as semen may speed up the progression of these diseases, the results of a new study indicate.
A team of researchers at the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) found that very high levels of the molecule, prostaglandin, fuel tumour growth. While this molecule is found naturally in the cells of female reproductive organs, the concentration of it is 1,000 times higher in semen.
The team is hoping that the finding may lead to a new treatment that stops prostaglandin in its path, effectively slowing down the progression of cancer tumours.
“Sexually active women who are at risk of cervical or uterine cancer should encourage their partners to wear a condom to prevent increased exposure to the prostaglandins that may make their condition worse”, said lead researcher, Dr Henry Jabbour of the MRC.
Details of these findings are published in the Journal of Endocrinology and Human Reproduction.
Source: Irish Health
