Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is cancer of the cervix -- the opening of the uterus, extending into the upper end of the vagina.Thanks to effective screening, which can detect cervical precancers and cancers early, most of them can be cured.
A Slow-Growing, Treatable Cancer
Cervical cancer usually grows slowly over many years. Before true cancer cells develop, the tissues of the cervix undergo changes -- called dysplasia, or precancers -- that a pathologist can detect in a Pap smear.
If left untreated, these precancers have the propensity to invade and become cancerous. Once they spread beyond the borders of the cervix, they can invade tissues more deeply, into either the vagina or the uterus, and ultimately metastasize to other parts of the body.
Risk factors
By avoiding the following known risk factors for HPV infection, women can reduce their likelihood of developing cervical cancer:
early age at first sexual intercourse (15 years or younger)
having a history of many sexual partners (more than seven)
smoking (which produces chemicals that can damage cervical cells, making them more vulnerable to infection and cancer)
infection with HIV (which reduces the body's ability to fight off HPV infection and early cancers)
Women without these risk factors rarely develop cervical cancer. Although all women can help protect themselves from disease by having their sexual partners use condoms, condoms do not provide complete protection from HPV infection because this virus (unlike HIV) can be spread by contact with any infected area of the body.
Symptoms
Cervical cancer, especially in its earliest stages, often causes no symptoms. That's why it's so important to see your doctor for regular screening with a Pap test.
When symptoms do occur, they may include the following:
pain or bleeding during or after intercourse
unusual discharge from the vagina
blood spots or light bleeding other than a normal period
These symptoms can be caused by cervical cancer or by a number of serious conditions, and should be evaluated promptly by a medical professional.
Diagnosis
A Pap test is used to detect the possibility of a cervical cancer or dysplasia (precancer).
Biopsy
If a Pap test shows an abnormality, your doctor will perform a biopsy using a colposcope (a viewing tube attached to magnifying binoculars) to find the abnormal area and remove a tiny section of the surface of the cervix, which a pathologist will examine to see if it contains precancer or cancer cells. The Dr. may also perform a Schiller test, in which the cervix is coated with an iodine solution. Iodine causes the healthy cells to turn brown, while abnormal cells appear white or yellow.
Cytoscopy & Other Imaging Tests
If your doctor suspects that the cancer may have spread beyond the cervix, you may have cytoscopy (examination of the bladder using a lighted tube), proctoscopy (examination of the rectum), a chest x-ray, or other imaging tests -- such as a computerized tomography scan (CT scan) of the abdomen and pelvis to check for metastatic disease, or magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI scan) of the pelvis to check the extent of local disease.
Treatment
Options for treating cervical cancer depend chiefly on the stage of disease -- the size of the cancer, the depth of invasion, and whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The primary forms of treatment are surgery and combined radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
These cancers are preinvasive and can be treated conservatively, sparing the uterus. Options for treatment include
laser surgery (in which a narrow beam of intense light is used to kill the cancerous cells)
loop excision (in which an electrical current is passed through a thin wire loop to remove the cells)
cone biopsy (to surgically remove a cone-shaped piece of tissue containing the cancer)
These treatments are almost always effective in removing precancers and stopping them from developing into true cancers.
I'm not a Dr. This is meant to give only some information about different types of cancer, to make you aware. Cancer is curable if detected in early stages.
A Slow-Growing, Treatable Cancer
Cervical cancer usually grows slowly over many years. Before true cancer cells develop, the tissues of the cervix undergo changes -- called dysplasia, or precancers -- that a pathologist can detect in a Pap smear.
If left untreated, these precancers have the propensity to invade and become cancerous. Once they spread beyond the borders of the cervix, they can invade tissues more deeply, into either the vagina or the uterus, and ultimately metastasize to other parts of the body.
Risk factors
By avoiding the following known risk factors for HPV infection, women can reduce their likelihood of developing cervical cancer:
early age at first sexual intercourse (15 years or younger)
having a history of many sexual partners (more than seven)
smoking (which produces chemicals that can damage cervical cells, making them more vulnerable to infection and cancer)
infection with HIV (which reduces the body's ability to fight off HPV infection and early cancers)
Women without these risk factors rarely develop cervical cancer. Although all women can help protect themselves from disease by having their sexual partners use condoms, condoms do not provide complete protection from HPV infection because this virus (unlike HIV) can be spread by contact with any infected area of the body.
Symptoms
Cervical cancer, especially in its earliest stages, often causes no symptoms. That's why it's so important to see your doctor for regular screening with a Pap test.
When symptoms do occur, they may include the following:
pain or bleeding during or after intercourse
unusual discharge from the vagina
blood spots or light bleeding other than a normal period
These symptoms can be caused by cervical cancer or by a number of serious conditions, and should be evaluated promptly by a medical professional.
Diagnosis
A Pap test is used to detect the possibility of a cervical cancer or dysplasia (precancer).
Biopsy
If a Pap test shows an abnormality, your doctor will perform a biopsy using a colposcope (a viewing tube attached to magnifying binoculars) to find the abnormal area and remove a tiny section of the surface of the cervix, which a pathologist will examine to see if it contains precancer or cancer cells. The Dr. may also perform a Schiller test, in which the cervix is coated with an iodine solution. Iodine causes the healthy cells to turn brown, while abnormal cells appear white or yellow.
Cytoscopy & Other Imaging Tests
If your doctor suspects that the cancer may have spread beyond the cervix, you may have cytoscopy (examination of the bladder using a lighted tube), proctoscopy (examination of the rectum), a chest x-ray, or other imaging tests -- such as a computerized tomography scan (CT scan) of the abdomen and pelvis to check for metastatic disease, or magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI scan) of the pelvis to check the extent of local disease.
Treatment
Options for treating cervical cancer depend chiefly on the stage of disease -- the size of the cancer, the depth of invasion, and whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The primary forms of treatment are surgery and combined radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
These cancers are preinvasive and can be treated conservatively, sparing the uterus. Options for treatment include
laser surgery (in which a narrow beam of intense light is used to kill the cancerous cells)
loop excision (in which an electrical current is passed through a thin wire loop to remove the cells)
cone biopsy (to surgically remove a cone-shaped piece of tissue containing the cancer)
These treatments are almost always effective in removing precancers and stopping them from developing into true cancers.
I'm not a Dr. This is meant to give only some information about different types of cancer, to make you aware. Cancer is curable if detected in early stages.
posted by G S Iyer at 2:22 AM
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