CERVICAL CANCER

Cervical cancer is a disease in which cancer cells are found in the tissues of the cervix. The cervix is the opening of the uterus, extending into the upper end of the vagina. Almost all cases of cervical cancer can be linked to the human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus.

Epidemiology

• Cervical cancers can be detected and can be cured with effective screening.
• Cancer of the cervix is the second most common type of cancer found in women, it affects an estimated 500,000 worldwide each year.
• Women of all ages are at risk of cervical cancer, but the majority of those diagnosed are between ages 30 and 55.

Risk Factors

The one risk factor is papilloma viruses, which have been known to cause cervical dysplasia, or precancers, for more than two decades. Women increase their likelihood of developing cervical cancer and HPV infection by:

• Early age at first sexual intercourse.
• Having many sexual partners.
• Smoking, which exposes the body to cancer-causing chemicals that can damage cervical cells, making them more vulnerable to infection.
• Infection with the Chlamydia bacteria, which is spread by sexual contact.
• Infection with HIV.
• A family history of cervical cancer.
• A diet low in fruits and vegetables.

Symptoms

• Family history of the disease.
• Pain or bleeding during or after intercourse.
• Unusual discharge from the vagina.
• Signs of spread to other areas of the body include lymph gland enlargement in the groin or collarbone area or left armpit. Advanced spread may give bone, liver, lung, bowel and brain abnormalities.

Diagnosis

• Pap test is used to screen women for cancer of the cervix to detect early abnormal cell changes that could lead to cervical cancer.
• First Pap test should be at a age of 21. Continue to have regular Pap tests until you are 65 to 70 years of age and have had 3 normal Pap tests within the last 10 years.
• Biopsy is performed after a Pap test shows an abnormality. Biopsy is removing a sample of cervical tissue for microscopic examination.

Treatment

Treating cervical cancer depends chiefly on the stage of the 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 chemotheraphy.
• Colposcopy exams the cervix with a special lens that magnifies the surface 40 times.
• Cone Biopsy means cutting out a thin “cone” of the cervical canal for evaluation.