Symptoms of cervical cancer after Jersey Shore star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi shares diagnosis
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi has been diagnosed with cervical cancer. Now, she’s using her story to send an urgent message to women.
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi shared a post on TikTok telling her followers about her cancer diagnosis.
“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!,” she says, according to NBC.
She goes on: “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.”
“So there were no cancer cells on that, which means it didn’t go up into the cervix, which is a good thing,”
Symptoms of cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
“With 660 000 new cases estimated in 2022. In the same year, about 94% of the 350 000 deaths caused by cervical cancer occurred in low- and middle-income countries.”
It is caused by persistent infection with HPV. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms may include:
- Vaginal bleeding after intercourse, between periods or after menopause.
- Menstrual bleeding that is heavier and lasts longer than usual.
- Watery, bloody vaginal discharge that may be heavy and have a foul odor.
- Pelvic pain or pain during intercourse.
For Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, the next step is treatment. She urges women to get their routine Pap smears.
“Obviously, I think the smart choice here is the hysterectomy. I’ll still keep my ovaries, which is a good sign,” she said.
“But yeah, gotta get the cervix and uterus out… It all depends on the PET scan.”
How to prevent cervical cancer
A cervical cancer diagnosis can be difficult for anyone, but Nicole tries to maintain a positive mindset.
“It could be worse,” she says.
“So even though it’s not the news that I wanted to get, I still have to do further things to get rid of this.”
“I just feel like it’s very common in women.”
The best ways to reduce risk include regular cervical screenings (also called Pap smears), practicing safe sex, and HPV vaccination. According to the Mayo Clinic, routine Pap tests are recommended beginning at age 21.
“Pap tests can detect precancerous conditions of the cervix. These conditions can be monitored or treated in order to prevent cervical cancer. Most medical organizations suggest beginning routine Pap tests at age 21 and repeating them every few years.”
