Cervical Cancer Symptoms And Treatments

The most important risk factor in the development of cervical cancer is infection with a high-risk strain of human papillomavirus.

Cervical cancer is malignant neoplasm of the cervix uteri or cervical area. Cervical cancer symptoms may present with vaginal bleeding but symptoms may be absent until the cancer is in its advanced stages. Treatment consists of surgery (including local excision) in early stages and chemotherapy and radiotherapy in advanced stages of the disease.

Pap smear screening can identify potentially precancerous changes. Treatment of high grade changes can prevent the development of cancer. In developed countries, the widespread use of cervical screening programs has reduced the incidence of invasive cervical cancer by 50% or more.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a necessary factor in the development of nearly all cases of cervical cancer. HPV vaccine effective against the two strains of HPV that cause the most cervical cancer has been licensed in the U.S and the EU. These two HPV strains together are currently responsible for approximately 70% of all cervical cancers. Since the vaccine only covers some high-risk types, women should seek regular Pap smear screening, even after vaccination.

Cervical Cancer Symptoms

Advanced Cervical Cancer Symptoms may include: loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, pelvic pain, back pain, leg pain, single swollen leg, heavy bleeding from the vagina, leaking of urine or feces from the vagina, and bone fractures.

The most important risk factor in the development of cervical cancer is infection with a high-risk strain of human papillomavirus. The virus cancer link works by triggering alterations in the cells of the cervix, which can lead to the development of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, which can lead to cancer.

Women who have many sexual partners (or who have sex with men who had many other partners) have a greater risk.

Even if you don't have any Cervical Cancer symptoms, you should have a pap smear at least once a year.

Biopsy procedures

This is often done through colposcopy, a magnified visual inspection of the cervix aided by using a dilute acetic acid (e.g. vinegar) solution to highlight abnormal cells on the surface of the cervix.

Further diagnostic procedures are loop electrical excision procedure (LEEP) and conization, in which the inner lining of the cervix is removed to be examined pathologically.

These are carried out if the biopsy confirms severe cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

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Pathologic types

Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, the precursor to cervical cancer, is often diagnosed on examination of cervical biopsies by a pathologist.

Histologic subtypes of invasive cervical carcinoma include the following: Though squamous cell carcinoma is the cervical cancer with the most incidence, the incidence of adenocarcinoma of the cervix has been increasing in recent decades.

squamous cell carcinoma adenocarcinoma adenosquamous carcinoma small cell carcinoma neuroendocrine carcinoma

Non-carcinoma malignancies which can rarely occur in the cervix include melanoma lymphoma

Staging

Cervical cancer is staged by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging system, which is based on clinical examination, rather than surgical findings.

It allows only the following diagnostic tests to be used in determining the stage: palpation, inspection, colposcopy, endocervical curettage, hysteroscopy, cystoscopy, proctoscopy, intravenous urography, and X-ray examination of the lungs and skeleton, and cervical conization.

According to the US National Cancer Institute's 2005 Health Information National Trends survey, only 40% of American women surveyed had heard of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and only 20% had heard of its link to cervical cancer.

In 2008 an estimated 3,870 women in the US will die of cervical cancer, and around 11,000 new cases are expected to be diagnosed.

Screening, Preventive Vaccination,Condoms

Until recently the Pap smear has remained the principal technology for preventing cervical cancer. However, following a rapid review of the published literature, originally commissioned by NICE, liquid based cytology has been incorporated within the UK national screening programme. Although it was probably intended to improve on the accuracy of the Pap test, its main advantage has been to reduce the number of inadequate smears from around 9% to around 1%.

This reduces the need to recall women for a further smear.

Preventive Vaccination

Gardasil, licensed and manufactured by Merck & Co. is a vaccine against HPV types 6, 11, 16 & 18.

Gardasil is up to 98% effective. It is now on the market after receiving approval from the US Food and Drug Administration on June 8, 2006.

GlaxoSmithKline has developed a vaccine called Cervarix which has been shown to be 92% effective in preventing HPV strains 16 and 18 and is effective for more than four years. Cervarix has been approved some places and is in approval process elsewhere.

Condoms

Condoms offer some protection against cervical cancer.

Evidence on whether condoms protect against HPV infection is mixed, but they do provide protect against genital warts and the precursors to cervical cancer.

They also provide protection against other STDs, such as HIV and Chlamydia, which are associated with greater risks of developing cervical cancer. Condoms may also be useful in treating potentially precancerous changes in the cervix.

Exposure to semen appears to increase the risk of precancerous changes, and use of condoms helps to cause these changes to regress and helps clear HPV. One study suggests that prostaglandin in semen may fuel the growth of cervical and uterine tumours and that affected women may benefit from the use of condoms.

Most important, if you notice any cervical cancer symptoms visit your doctor as soon as possible. Time is of the essence when treating cervical cancer.

Souce: wikipedia.org

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