Cervical Cancer Symptoms and Treatment

Cervical Cancer Symptoms and Treatment

Cervical Cancer is ​​cancer of the cells in your cervix. HPV infections cause most cervical cancer. Getting Pap tests and practicing safe sex are the most important steps you can take to help prevent cervical cancer. Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are the main treatments.

What is Cervical Cancer?

Cervical cancer of the cervix is cancer that starts on the surface of your cervix. It occurs when cells in your cervix start to turn into precancerous cells. HPV (human papillomavirus) infection causes almost all cases of cervical cancer. HPV is a virus that is spread through sexual contact. You can reduce your risk of cervical cancer by having regular cervical cancer screenings (such as Pap smears) and getting the HPV vaccine.

Cervical cancer of the cervix is usually asymptomatic until it starts to spread. This is why regular screenings and the HPV vaccine are so important. Cervical cancer is highly treatable when found in the early stages. A health care provider can treat it with surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and other cancer drugs.

Types of Cervical Cancer

There are two main types of cancer of the cervix: squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas. About 80% to 90% of cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, while 10% to 20% are adenocarcinomas. You can also have a mixture of both types.

What are the warning signs of Cervical Cancer of the cervix?

The early stages of cancer are usually symptom-free and difficult to detect. The first signs of cancer can take time to develop.

Signs and symptoms of stage I Cervical Cancer may include

• Watery or bloody vaginal discharge, which can be heavy and foul-smelling.
• Vaginal bleeding after sex, between periods or after menopause.
• Pain
• During sexual intercourse (dyspareunia).

If the cancer has spread to nearby tissues or organs, symptoms may include

• Difficulty or pain when urinating, sometimes with blood in the urine.
• Diarrhea, pain or bleeding from the rectum during defecation.
• Fatigue, weight loss and loss of appetite.
• A general feeling of sickness.
• Dull pain in your back or swelling in your legs.
• Pelvic/abdominal pain.

You should contact a healthcare professional if you experience abnormal bleeding, unusual vaginal discharge, or any other unexplained symptoms.

What causes cervical cancer of the cervix?

Most cervical cancers are caused by HPV, a sexually transmitted infection. HPV is spread through sexual contact (anal, oral or vaginal) and can lead to cancer. Most people get HPV at some point in their lives and don’t realize it because their body fights the infection. But if your body does not fight the infection, it can cause the cells in your cervix to develop into cancerous cells.

HPV and Cervical Cancer Cervix

There are more than 100 types of HPV and about a dozen of them have been shown to cause cancer. Early detection of these HPV types is key to preventing cancer. The HPV vaccine can help prevent HPV infection by protecting you against HPV, which causes up to 90% of all cervical cancers.

Who is most at risk of developing Cervical Cancer?

In many cases, you may have no known risk factors for cervical cancer. Other times, you may have one or more risk factors. Here are some risk factors that you can control:

• Screening history: People who have not had regular Pap tests are more likely to develop cancer (because Pap tests can detect precancerous cells).
• HPV infection: Some types of HPV cause cervical cancer. Reducing your risk of HPV can also reduce your risk of cancer.
• Sexual history: Having sex before the age of 18 and having many sexual partners can increase your risk of HPV infection.
• Smoking: Smoking increases your risk of developing cancer.
• HIV infection: People with HIV have a higher than average risk of developing cervical cancer.
• Weak immune system: A weak immune system prevents your body from fighting infections.

There are some risk factors that you cannot change or control. These include:

• DES (diethylstilbestrol): DES is a drug given to people between 1938 and 1971 to prevent miscarriages. If your mother took DES, you may be more likely to develop cancer.
• Family history: Cervical cancer may have a genetic component.

How long can cervical cancer go undetected?

Precancerous cell changes can grow slowly, but when they do turn into cancer, they can grow quickly. It takes three to seven years for abnormal cell changes to turn into cancer. Pap tests can detect precancerous cell changes before they have a chance to turn into cancer. If you have regular Pap tests, it is unlikely that cervical cancer will go undetected.

What are the complications of cervical cancer?

Early diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer is important to avoid life-threatening complications of the disease.

Some of the possible complications of cervical cancer include

• Pain : It can be painful when the cancer spreads.
• Bladder and bowel changes: Cervical cancer can cause urinary problems such as difficulty urinating. It can also cause constipation.
• Kidney damage : Kidney failure is a complication of advanced cervical cancer.
• Blood clots : When you have cancer, your risk of blood clots increases because the blood becomes ‘sticky’. This can slow down your blood flow and lead to clots.
• Bleeding: You may experience bleeding from your vagina, rectum or bladder if your cancer spreads to these organs.
• Difficulties with fertility or pregnancy: Depending on the treatment you receive, you may lose your ability to get pregnant. Surgery on your cervix to remove cancer cells may also increase your chances of miscarriage in future pregnancies.
• Side effects of cancer treatment: Chemotherapy, radiation and other cancer treatments can cause unpleasant side effects such as nausea, vomiting, fatigue and sexual dysfunction.

How is cervical cancer diagnosed?

Cervical cancer of the cervix usually develops slowly and over many years. Before it becomes cancerous, the cells in your cervix go through many changes. Once normal cells in your cervix start to look irregular or abnormal. These abnormal cells can disappear, stay the same or turn into cancer cells.

Regular cervical cancer screening with a Pap test can detect most cases of cervical cancer. The aim of cervical cancer screening is to detect cell changes in your cervix before they turn into cancer. A Pap test or Pap smear involves looking at the cells in your cervix under a microscope. These cells are examined for signs of precancer or other irregularities.

If your Pap comes back abnormal, further testing is necessary. This may include an HPV test, a special test that checks the cells of your cervix for HPV strains that are most likely to cause cancer.

Tests to diagnose cervical cancer of the cervix

If your scans are abnormal, your health care professional will want to do more tests to confirm that you have cervical cancer. The first step is usually a colposcopy. A colposcope magnifies the cells in your cervix so your health care provider can see irregular cells. If the cells look suspicious or unusual, they will take a sample of the cervix cells and send it to a laboratory for further testing.

They may use any of the following methods to take a sample of tissue from your cervix:

• Punch biopsy : Your health care professional uses a round-tipped cutting tool to cut out precancerous cells.
• Endocervical curettage : This procedure involves your doctor scraping the lining of your cervix with a spoon-shaped instrument called a curette.
• Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP): Your healthcare provider uses an electric wire loop to remove abnormal cervical tissue.
• Cone biopsy : Your doctor removes a slightly larger, cone-shaped piece of tissue from your cervix.

If the results from these tests confirm cervical cancer, further tests will be done to determine if the disease has spread (metastasised). These tests may include

• Liver and kidney function studies.
• Blood and urine tests.
• X-rays of your bladder, rectum, intestines and lungs.
• CT scans.
• MRI SCANS

The results of these tests also help your health care provider stage the cancer. Cancer ranges from Stage I (least severe) to Stage IV (most severe). Staging helps your health care provider determine the best treatment plan.

What are the stages of cervical cancer of the cervix?

There are four main stages of cervical cancer and each stage may have several different sub-stages. The main stages of cervical cancer are as follows:

• Stage I : Cancer is only found in the neck of your cervix. It has not spread to deeper parts of your cervical tissues.
• Stage II: The cancer has spread beyond your cervix and uterus but has not yet spread to your pelvic wall (the tissues lining your pelvis) or lower vagina.
• Stage III: The cancer has spread to the lower part of your vagina and may have spread to your pelvic wall, ureters (tubes that carry urine from your kidneys to your bladder) and nearby lymph nodes.
• Stage IV : Cancer has spread to your bladder, rectum, or other parts of your body, such as your bones or lungs.

Your healthcare professional is the best person to talk to you about what stage your cervical cancer is at and what it means.

What does cervical cancer of the cervix look like?

Cervical cancer cells look different under a microscope compared to normal or healthy cells. Only a pathologist can recognise these changes. You cannot see or touch cervical cancer on your own. A pathologist will notice the following characteristics of cervical cancer cells:

• Different size and shape.
• Loss of structure or organisation.
• Increased fluid inside the cell.
• A dark centre.

How is cervical cancer of the cervix treated?

The treatment of cervical cancer depends on many factors, such as the stage of the disease, your age, your general health and whether you want to have children in the future. Treatment of cervical cancer includes radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery, targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Clinical trials are another option. These are controlled research studies to test new treatments for cancer. Talk to your oncologist if you would like to take part in a clinical trial. Some people use alternative therapies such as diet, herbs, acupuncture and other methods to support their cancer treatment. Talk to your health care provider about alternative methods that claim to relieve cancer symptoms. Some can be helpful, but others can be harmful.

Radiation

Radiation therapy uses energy beams to kill cancer cells in your cervix. There are two types of radiation therapy:

• External beam radiation therapy (EBRT): High-powered radiation is directed at the cancer from a machine outside your body.
• Brachytherapy: Gives radiation into or very close to the cancer.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses drugs injected into your veins or taken by mouth to kill cancer cells. It enters your blood and is effective for killing cells anywhere in your body. There are several drugs used for chemotherapy and they can be combined. Chemotherapy is usually given in cycles. The length of the cycle and the schedule or frequency of chemotherapy will depend on the drug used and the location of the cancer in your body.

Surgery

Different types of surgery are used to treat cervical cancer. Your health care provider may only remove cancerous tissue when the cancer is in the early stages. Some of the most common types of surgery for cervical cancer include

• Laser surgery: In this surgical method, only cancer cells are burned using a laser beam.
• Cryosurgery: In this surgical method, cancer cells are destroyed by freezing.
• Hysterectomy: This surgery involves removing your uterus and cervix.
• Trachelectomy : In this procedure, the cervix and the upper part of the vagina are removed, but not your uterus.
• Pelvic exenteration: This is the same as a hysterectomy but also includes your bladder, vagina, rectum and part of your colon, depending on where the cancer has spread.

Some people may receive a combination of treatments. Your healthcare provider may use radiation or chemotherapy to treat cancer that has spread or come back (recurred). Sometimes your healthcare provider will use radiation and chemotherapy before or after surgery.

Targeted Therapy

Targeted drug therapy destroys specific cancer cells without harming healthy cells. It works by targeting proteins that control how cancer cells grow and spread. As scientists learn more about cancer cells, they can design better targeted treatments that destroy these proteins.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy uses drugs to stimulate your immune system to recognise and destroy cancer cells. Cancer cells pretend to be healthy to hide from your immune system. Immunotherapy helps to target these signals so that cancer cells cannot trick your body into thinking it is a healthy cell.

Is Cervical Cancer of the Cervix completely curable?

Yes. It is a highly treatable cancer, especially if caught in the early stages. Health care providers often use the term ‘remission’ to describe a cancer that goes away. It can come back, though.

Do you need chemotherapy for stage 1 cervical cancer?

You may not need chemotherapy for Stage I cervical cancer. Surgery is usually the first treatment your provider will recommend for Stage 1. But there are times when chemotherapy is also an option.

Can cervical cancer of the cervix be treated at stage IV?

A cure is unlikely at this stage, but remission is possible. Stage IV is the most advanced stage of cervical cancer. This means that the cancer cells have spread to other organs and tissues in your body. Your healthcare professional will still recommend the best ways to eliminate the cancer. Radiation therapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy are still options for you.

Can Cervical Cancer of the Cervix be prevented?

There are some things you can do to help prevent Cancer Cervix. Having regular gynaecological examinations and Pap tests are the most important steps to prevent cervical cancer. Other things you can do are:

• Get the HPV vaccine (if you are eligible).
• Use condoms or other barrier methods when you have sex.
• Limit your sexual partners.
• Stop smoking and using tobacco products.

Cervical Cancer Cervix Appearance

Cervical cancer of the cervix is a serious disease, but it is highly treatable, especially in the early stages. If you are diagnosed, it is normal to worry about your health or feel angry that cancer has happened to you. You want the cancer to go away and you want to be able to live a long and fulfilling life. Ask your health professional what treatment they recommend. Cancer treatment can be difficult and can cause unpleasant side effects. Lean on your loved ones for help. Support groups for cancer patients can also help if you need someone who understands what you are going through.

When your treatment is finished, your healthcare professional will want to follow you closely to make sure the cancer does not come back. Even if you go into remission, you will probably always have cancer at the back of your brain and be worried that it may come back. This is a normal reaction to having cancer. It may be helpful to talk about your feelings with a counsellor, close friend or health professional.

What are the survival rates for cervical cancer of the cervix?

Survival rates for cervical cancer of the cervix are very good, especially when your provider catches the cells at the precancerous level (before they turn into cancer cells). According to the National Cancer Institute, the following are the five-year relative survival rates:

• If the cancer has not spread, the five-year relative survival rate is 91%. Almost half of all cervical cancers are diagnosed at this stage.
• If cancer has spread outside your cervix to nearby tissues, the relative five-year survival rate is 60 per cent.
• If cancer has spread to your lymph nodes and distant organs, the relative five-year survival rate is about 19 per cent.

These statistics do not accurately predict what will happen to you. Your healthcare professional is the best person to discuss your unique perspective.

When Should I See a Healthcare Provider for Early Detection?

If you develop any abnormal or suspicious symptoms, you should see a health care provider. Here are some things to look for to help detect cervical cancer early:

• Bleeding between periods or after menopause.
• Watery vaginal discharge.
• Pelvic pain or pain during intercourse.

If you are not sure when your last Pap test was, see your health care provider. They can put you on a regular schedule to help catch any changes in your cervix early.

You can contact for detailed information:
Instagram : dralpersismanoglu  Facebook : OpDrAlperSismanoglu
Cervical Cancer Symptoms and Treatment, IVF Treatment, IVF, Infertility Treatment,