What Women Should Know About Cervical Cancer?

A cervical cancer is the most common cancer affecting women under 35 years old. Around 3100 women in the UK are being diagnosed with cervical cancer each year. It is therefore important to know the symptoms for cervical cancer and ensure you go for the regular cervical screenings to catch any early signs of the developing cancer. Here we will know about cervical cancer, the key symptoms, the diagnosis and treatments.

What is Cervical Cancer?

Cervical cancer starts in the neck of the womb called as cervix. It can be used by the HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), a virus that can be passed through sexual contact. With over 100 types of HPV among which many are harmless, certain types can cause abnormal changes to the cells in the cervix that could lead to the development of cancer.

How Does HPV Cause Cervical Cancer?

According to the American Cancer Society, there are more than 150 type of HPV out of which around 12 are high risk types which can increase your risk for cancer. However, even the highest risk HPV’s do not cause cancer since the body is great at fighting off infection and the immune system will typically prevent the virus from doing any serious harm. In small number of women, a high-risk HPV can lead to a persistent infection in the cells of the cervix and if this viral infection lasts for years then it can lead the normal cells on the surface of the cervix to convert into cancerous cells. Our immune system is constantly working to suppress the HPV at the cervix and it is possible for a pap test to detect HPV or an HPV-related abnormality which is not optimally suppressed.

What are the Symptoms of Cervical Cancer?

The symptoms of cervical cancer is bleeding from vagina other than when you are having period i.e. in between your periods or during or after sex. Some women also experience pain or discomfort during sex as well as unpleasant smelling vaginal discharge. If the cancer spreads outside the cervix and affects the surrounding tissues then it can trigger other symptoms such as blood in urine, constipation, swelling in legs, severe pain in your side or back due to swelling of kidneys, loss of bladder control, loss f appetite, lack of energy, etc.

However, it is significant to know that the pre-cancerous cells of the cervix do not have the symptoms and hence it is important to have regular cervical screenings.

Cervical Screening:

A cervical screening or a smear test in in place to test apparently healthy people for the signs that could show cancer is starting to develop. It is a key way to prevent cancer by finding and treating any early signs of changes in the womb. During the test, the nurse or doctor will take the sample of cells from the cervix using a small brush and send it to a laboratory to check for any abnormalities.

Cervical Cancer Treatments

The treatments for a cervical cancer will depend on how far the cancer has spread across the surrounding cells and tissues. Early stage cervical cancer can be treated with surgery while the advance stage cervical cancer will require radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. The cervical cancer treatment options include the following:

1)    Removing abnormal cells: This is performed by using a cone biopsy or a laser therapy.

2)    A hysterectomy: This type of surgery involves a procedure in which the cervix and womb are removed. This is usually done for more advanced cases of cervical cancer.

3)    A radical trachelectomy: This surgery is used to remove the cervix, surrounding tissue and the upper part of the vagina while the womb is left in place.

Vaccination will help prevent the infection and most of them do not proceed to the cervical cancer. Therefore regular Pap smear screening will allow the early detection for precancerous cells and for initiation of treatment before the cells become cancerous. The first thing to do when you are diagnosed with cervical cancer is to breathe. Do not panic since all stages of cervical cancer can be treated and possibly cured with chemotherapy and radiation and success rates will increase through complete treatment.

Source:

http://laparoscopictreatment.blogspot.com/2015/10/cervical-cancer-treatment-overview.html

 http://lerablog.org/health/services/laparoscopic-hysterectomy-surgery-get-to-know/