It has been a while since we shared what we have been reading. Below are the stories and studies we think are worth your time right now — on screening, symptoms, research, and recovery. Each one links to its original source so you can read the whole thing yourself.

Screening is changing

You may soon be able to collect your own cervical screening sample. In 2025 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved self-collection of vaginal samples as part of routine cervical cancer screening — a sample you can collect in a clinic, or in the privacy of your own home. The American Cancer Society explains what that means for anyone who has delayed or avoided screening appointments.
Source: What Is Self-Collection for Cervical Cancer Screening? (American Cancer Society)

This matters to us because cervical cancer is the only one of the five gynecologic cancers with a reliable screening test. The other four — ovarian, uterine/endometrial, vaginal, and vulvar — have none. Knowing the symptoms is the screening.
Related: Not Enough Females Are Being Screened for Cervical Cancer (American Cancer Society)

Know the symptoms — and what can hide them

Menopause and gynecologic cancer can look alike. Hot flashes, night sweats, and trouble sleeping are familiar to anyone approaching menopause. The problem is that menopause symptoms can closely resemble the symptoms of cervical, ovarian, and uterine cancer — which is exactly how a serious symptom gets explained away.
Source: Cancer Symptoms vs. Menopause Symptoms: Knowing the Key Differences (American Cancer Society)

Endometriosis may raise ovarian cancer risk. Endometriosis affects more than 11% of women aged 15 to 44. Research summarized by the American Cancer Society looks at its link to ovarian cancer risk — worth knowing if endometriosis is part of your history.
Source: Endometriosis May Increase Ovarian Cancer Risk (American Cancer Society)

Research worth watching

A possible answer to chemotherapy resistance in ovarian cancer. Michigan State University researchers identified how ovarian cancer cells become resistant to cisplatin — a chemotherapy drug discovered at MSU in 1965 and still considered a gold standard — and found a protein that, when blocked, restores the drug’s effectiveness. “We have learned how cancer cells adapt to chemotherapy by altering their internal structure,” said Sachi Horibata, assistant professor in MSU’s Precision Health Program. The findings were published in Cell Reports.
Source: MSU Researchers Discover New Target to Overcome Ovarian Cancer Chemotherapy Resistance (MSU Today)

How ovarian cancer spreads. Researchers at The Wistar Institute have been working to understand the mechanisms behind ovarian cancer metastasis — the spread that makes this disease so difficult to treat when chemotherapy does not fully clear it.
Source: Fructose and ovarian cancer metastasis: Is there a link? (Medical News Today)

“I knew something wasn’t right”

Cathy Hinko noticed something was wrong and did what so many of us do — she waited, because her annual gynecology appointment was only a month away. She later learned she should not have waited. Her account of vulvar cancer, one of the five gynecologic cancers almost nobody can name, is a reminder that the appointment on the calendar is not always soon enough.
Source: ‘I knew something wasn’t right’: Cathy shares her battle with vulvar cancer (Norton Healthcare)

And for a story about what comes after diagnosis, the American Cancer Society profiles a woman who turned her cervical cancer into a catalyst for change.
Source: How One Woman Turned Cancer into a Catalyst for Change (American Cancer Society)

Recovery is part of treatment

Cervical cancer, and treatments such as surgery and radiation, can damage the pelvic floor — the muscles that support the bladder, bowel, and uterus. Pelvic floor therapy can help rebuild that strength. It is the kind of practical, quality-of-life care that often goes unmentioned.
Source: How Pelvic Floor Therapy Can Help During Cancer (American Cancer Society)

Know the 5 and Survive

The thread running through every story above is the same one we have been repeating since 2011: your yearly Pap test only screens for cervical cancer. It does not screen for ovarian, uterine/endometrial, vaginal, or vulvar cancer. For those four, recognizing symptoms early is what changes outcomes.

Learn the symptoms of the five gynecologic cancers, review the risk factors, and share them with the women in your life. We also offer free educational workshops for community groups, workplaces, colleges, and women’s organizations.

Your survival is our mission. Make it yours too.

This post summarizes reporting and research published by the organizations linked above and is provided for general education. It is not medical advice. If you have symptoms or concerns about your risk, talk with your own doctor.