CERVICAL CANCER IS VERY DEADLY!!!

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Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that occurs in the cells of the cervix to the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina.

Another school of thought also defined cervical cancer as when the cells of the cervix grow abnormally and invade other tissues and organs of the body.

Women of all ages are at risk of cervical cancer. In the United States, an estimated 13,000 women were diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer in 2016 and more than 4,000 women will die as a result of this diagnosis. This vital information was part of a document published by the National Foundation for Cancer Research (USA) in the year 2018.

Signs and Symptoms
Early-stage cervical cancer generally produces no signs or symptoms.
Signs and symptoms of more-advanced cervical cancer include:
  • abnormal bleeding, such as bleeding between menstrual periods, after sex, after a pelvic exam, or after menopause
  • discharge that’s unusual in amount, colour, consistency, or smell
  • having to go to urinate more frequently
  • pelvic pain
  • painful urination
  • Kidney failure due to a urinary tract or bowel obstruction, when the cancer is advanced.

Risk factors for cervical cancer include:

  • Many sexual partners. The greater your number of sexual partners — and the greater your partner's number of sexual partners — the greater your chance of acquiring HPV.
  • Early sexual activity. Having sex at an early age increases your risk of HPV.
  • Other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Having other STIs — such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV/AIDS — increases your risk of HPV.
  • A weak immune system. You may be more likely to develop cervical cancer if your immune system is weakened by another health condition and you have HPV.
  • Smoking. Smoking is associated with squamous cell cervical cancer.
  • Oral contraceptives. Long-term use of oral contraceptives is associated with increased risk of cervical cancer. Women who have used oral contraceptives for 5 to 9 years have about three times the incidence of invasive cancer, and those who used them for 10 years or longer have about four times the risk.
  • Multiple pregnancies. Having many pregnancies are associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer. Among HPV-infected women, those who have had seven or more full-term pregnancies have around four times the risk of cancer compared with women with no pregnancies, and two to three times the risk of women who have had one or two full-term pregnancies.
COMPLICATIONS OF CERVICAL CANCER.
  • It can lead to organ damage and total system failure
  • It can result in other conditions such as anal cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, vaginal cancer, vulvar cancer etc.
  • It can result in death
How is cervical cancer diagnosed?
Doctors can diagnose the presence of abnormal and potentially cancerous cells through a Pap test. This involves swabbing your cervix with a device that’s similar to a cotton swab. They send this swab to a laboratory to be examined for precancerous or cancerous cells.

Prevention

Screening
Checking the cervix by the Papanicolaou test (Pap test), for cervical cancer has dramatically reduced the number of cases of and mortality from cervical cancer in developed countries. Pap test screening every three to five years with appropriate follow-up can reduce cervical cancer incidence up to 80%. Abnormal results may suggest the presence of precancerous changes, allowing examination and possible preventive treatment. 

Barrier protection

Barrier protection and/or spermicidal gel use during sexual intercourse decreases cancer risk. Condoms offer protection against cervical cancer. Evidence on whether condoms protect against HPV infection is mixed, but they may protect against genital warts and the precursors to cervical cancer.  They also provide protection against other STIs, 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 (CIN 3), 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.
Abstinence also prevents HPV infection.

Vaccination

Two HPV vaccines (Gardasil and Cervarix) reduce the risk of cancerous or precancerous changes of the cervix and perineum by about 93% and 62%, respectively. The vaccines are between 92% and 100% effective against HPV 16 and 18 up to at least 8 years.

Nutrition

Vitamin A is associated with lower risk as are vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-Carotene.
Health Education must be done to create awareness.

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