Cervical cancer, also known as the cancer of the cervix is a type of cancer that affects the cervix. For better understanding of the context, cervix is a hollow organ that connects the lower part of the uterus to the vagina and most cervical cancers begin in cells on the surface of the cervix.
Symptoms of Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer does not produce symptoms on early stage. Symptoms are only felt on the late stage of the cancer progression and this is the reason many women with the cancer don’t realize they have the disease early on.
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On the cases when symptoms appear, many mistake it for either menstrual pains or Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs).
Symptoms may include but not limited to;
- Painful urination
- unusual bleeding in between periods, after sex, or after menopause
- vaginal discharge different from the normal in terms of smell and appearance
- Pelvic pain
- Frequent urination
- Etc
Causes of Cervical Cancer
It is caused by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). HPV have about 100 different variants and only two cause cervical cancer. They are the HPV-16 and HPV-18. Due to the immune system of the body that fights to eliminate most of the HPV infections, especially within the first two years, being infected with the variants that cause cancer may not result to cervical cancer.
Treatment of Cervical Cancer
It has four major treatments but three would be discussed in this article. They include: Chemotherapy, Radiation Therapy, Surgery and Targeted Therapy.
Chemotherapy
This method may be used to treat cervical cancer that has spread to other organs and tissues (advanced cervical cancer) or recurrent cervical cancer. It involves the use of drugs to treat the cancerous growth. The drugs prevent the cancer cells from dividing, growing and making more cells. The treatment is given in circles by the doctors. This means that the chemo is given to the patient for a certain period of time and then stopped to allow the body some time to recover.
Radiation Therapy
This involves the use of high- energy x-ray beams to destroy cancer cells. This can be done either through external beam radiation or brachytherapy (internal beam radiation).
The external beam radiation involves the use of x-ray beams from a machine outside the body to aim at and destroy the cancer cells.
The brachytherapy or internal beam radiation involves putting a radiation source through the vagina to the cancer cells in the cervix. The common type of brachytherapy used in treating cervical cancer is the intracavitary brachytherapy in which the radiation source is placed in a device in the the vagina or the cervix.
Surgery
This involves the surgical removal of the cancer cells. When the cancer is localised only on the cervix, the doctors can efficiently remove only the area of cervix affected by the cancer cells but when it has advanced to other organs and tissues within the pelvis, the cervix is surgically removed together with the affected organs or tissues. There are many types of surgery for treatment of cervical cancer and they include; cryosurgery, conization, hysterectomy, trachelectomy, and pelvic exenteration.
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Stages of Cervical Cancer
There are basically four stages of cervical cancer. Staging the cancer helps the doctor find the appropriate treatment to be administered to the patient. The stages include:
Stage 1: This is the stage when the cancer is still small and have not spread to other parts of the body, although it may have spread to the lymph nodes.
Stage 2: In this stage, the cancer is gradually becoming larger and may have spread outside of the uterus and cervix but has not reached other parts of the body.
Stage 3: This is the beginning of the advance stage of the cancer. In this stage, the cancer has spread to the lower part of the vagina or to the pelvis. It may be blocking the ureters but hasn’t spread to other parts of the body.
Stage 4: This stage is called the advanced stage of cervical cancer. In this stage, the cancer cells may have spread outside of the pelvis to the surrounding organs such as lungs, bones, or liver.
Tests for Cervical Cancer
The major test to diagnose cervical cancer is the Pap smear which involves the collection of cells from the surface of the cervix. The collected sample is then sent to the lab to be tested for either precancerous or cancerous changes. If these changes are found, the doctor may suggest a colposcopy, which is a procedure for examining the cervix. During this test, a biopsy of the cells of the cervix may be taken for further examination.
It is recommended that women between the ages of 21 to 29 should get a Pap smear once every three years and those between the ages of 30 to 65 should get in addition to Pap smear every three years, a high risk HPV test every 5 years.
Prevention of Cervical Cancer
It is recommended that every sexually active woman should get a Pap smear regularly to ascertain the status of their cervix, if it has been affected by HPV or not to avoid complications and health issues related to cervical cancer. This is the major prevention method.
Other prevention method include:
- Keeping only one sexual partner
- Use of condom or other protection method during sex.
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