Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is a serious disease of women where cancer cells form in the cervix. This type of cancer is usually a slow growing one. Before making its appearance, cells will go through what is called dysplasia, which simply means changes that are not normal ones in the cells. As the disease progresses, it does spread deeper inside of the cervix, and goes on to other body areas.

What are common risk factors for cervical cancer?

First of all, the HPV infection sets a huge risk for this cancer type occuring. HPV means Human Papillomavirus. This will not necessarily mean ALL women will have the cancer with HPV, but it does trigger this.

Second of all, is a women that has born several children, or who has had a lot of sexual partners. Girls that have had sexual relationships very young, smoking, use of birth control, and lastly, an immune system that is not very strong can set the stage.

Symptoms

This is a silent disease and at first, women will not see any symptoms that are noticed. This is why pap tests are important as this is the test that picks up on this cancer.

Abnormal vaginal bleeding may occur, or a discharge along with pelvic pain may suggest a problem. But these symptoms can also mean other things such as ovarian cancer as well. In any case, contact your doctor for any sign that is suggestive of a problem.

If a pap smear is abnormal, then a procedure called a colposcopy may be done. This is a lighted instrument which is magnified used to examine the vaginal area and cervix for areas that are not normal. A curette will be used for some tissue samples and analyzed in the laboratory for signs of trouble.

Biopsy is done as the next step if colposcopy is not normal. A larger piece of cervix tissue is taken and examined for analysis. This is usually more definitive for diagnosis of cervical cancer. The biopsy procedure is done at the hospital as an outpatient procedure.

They can also do endocervical curettage. This is where cells are collected using a curette. Again, the laboratory analysis of these cells should give the complete true picture for diagnosis.

What about the outcome?

The outcome depends largely on the stage of the cancer. This depends largely on whether it has progressed into the lymph nodes or other places. The size of the tumor plays a factor as well in outcome.

Your options for treatment all hinge on the above. Chemotherapy and radiation are the two treatments frequently used. Typical staging is as follows:

Stage 1

The cancer is only contained within the cervix and no further. It can only be seen with a microscope.

Stage 2

The cervical cancer has progressed past the cervix area, but is not yet into the pelvic region. It is not into the tissues that surround the uterus.

Stage 3

Cancer is now in the lower third of the vaginal area. It is possibly in the pelvic region. It may be affecting the kidney making the kidney cease working.

Stage 4

This is serious. Cancer is into the bladder also, along with the rectum, and other body areas. The outcome once the cancer has gone into this stage is not so hopeful.

Below is a video by a woman gynecologist that is talking about the vaccine for HPV, which brings hope to prevent this serious female cancer.