Gynaecological Cancers

Five main cancers can affect the reproductive tract. Learn the early signs, risk factors and recommended screening schedules for cancers of the uterus, ovaries, cervix, vulva and vagina, and see how HPV vaccination and genetic testing support prevention and early detection.

References & additional material

  • Advocacy Groups
    • The European Network of Gynaecological Cancer Advocacy Groups (ENGAGe)
  • Web Articles
    • Cancer Research UK: Women’s Cancer, King’s College Hospital: Gynaecological Cancer Information, CDC: Gynaecologic Cancer
    • Scientific Reviews: Makker, V. et al. Endometrial cancer. Nature Reviews Disease Primers 7, 1–22 (2021), Matulonis, U. A. et al. Ovarian cancer. Nature Reviews Disease Primers 2, 1–22 (2016)

References

  • Cancer Research UK. Cancer Research UK [https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/home]
  • Chen, S. & Parmigiani, G. Meta-analysis of BRCA1 and BRCA2 penetrance. J Clin Oncol 25, 1329–1333 (2007)
  • Li, S. et al. Cancer Risks Associated With and Pathogenic Variants. J Clin Oncol 40, 1529–1541 (2022)

Who's behind this?

Isabelle Zane (illustrator)

PhD student at the Wellcome Sanger Institute. Her scientific cartoons and live conference sketches can be found at https://x.com/isabellease, https://bsky.app/profile/isabellease.bsky.social and https://isabellezane.bio/.

Rina Sakata (writer)

PhD student at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, using stem cell models to understand how the earliest cell fate decisions are made in the developing human embryo.

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Uterine fibroids, Endometriosis and Adenomyosis

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Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Written by Marie Moullet, Ana Paredes & Illustrated by Megan Gozzard

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Vaginal dysbiosis, Vaginismus and Vulvodynia

Written by Christina Kim, Ana Paredes & Illustrated by Lia Bote

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