Cervical Cancer Symptoms Resource

What is Cervical Cancer?

admin — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 11:37:38 +0000

Cancer is a kind of malignant tumor or tissues and cells growing abnormally which lead to tumor. This tumorous abnormal growth of tissues and cells in different parts of the body, say lungs or bladder or skin or colon results in cancer and it is considered a deadly disease for often in most cases it cannot be cured. The disease is irreversible.

It can be treated in some cases through radiation, laser and chemotherapy and it is widely known that chemotherapy leads to loss of hair. There is much fear and ignorance surrounding this disease called cancer because maximum number of people labor under the fixed belief that all cancers are incurable which is vastly untrue.

Facts about Cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is one of the types of cancer which originates in the lining of the cervix of the female reproductive and urinary system. In fact the two most common types of cancer which strike women all over the world are cervical cancer and breast cancer. However, if cervical cancer is detected in the early stages, it can be completely and successfully cured.

Cervical cancer can also be prevented if you take certain precautions and regularly appear for Pap smear tests and HPV tests once you cross 30 years of age. They have to be conducted every 3 years. Regular medical check ups with your doctor are also necessary for the symptoms don’t appear or manifest until the cervical cancer has reached an advanced stage.

The earlier it is detected, more are the variety of treatment options available. The survival rates especially in the first and second stages are extremely high and there are vaccines available for cervical cancer such as Gardasil and another vaccine called Cervarix is in the pipeline, waiting for FDA’s nod of approval.

What is cervical cancer? Or definition of cervical cancer

Cervix is the lower part of the womb.

When abnormal cancerous cells start growing at first on the outer surface of the cervix and then spread its wings through the cervix, pelvic wall, pelvis, and invade the interior of the cervix and nearby organs such as rectum and bladder and uterus and ovary, the upper and lower part of the vagina and in the last stage – stage IVB – invade the distant organs such as lungs, it is called cervical cancer.

When the patient has reached the last stage of cervical cancer, her chances of survival is minimal because survival rate at Stage IVB is 15% only.

The various stages of precancerous changes are termed medically as dysplasia, SIL or squamous intraepithelial lesion and CIN or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

It happens to be the second most common cancer after breast cancer that affects women.

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Cervix or Cervical

admin — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 11:35:03 +0000

The word cervix comes from a Latin word cervix uteri meaning neck and is an important part of the female anatomy, or to be more specific, of the female reproductive system.

Definition and Anatomy of cervix

The top end of the vagina is connected to the uterus through a low narrow cylindrical passage or tunnel which is known as the cervix. In fact cervix is the lower part of the uterus where it becomes narrow.

The cervix may also be conically shaped and the upper anterior wall of the vagina is the place through which it will protrude. With the help of suitable medical equipment it is possible to view half of the length of the cervix approximately.

The rest of the cervix cannot be seen as the vaginal wall blocks the view because it rises above the vagina. The other terms for cervix are neck of the uterus or cervix uteri.

Anatomical parts of the cervix

The cervix can be divided into several parts or sections such as ectocervix, external os, endocervical canal, internal os and cervical crypts. These last ones cervical crypts refer to the pockets on the outer cervical lining and production of cervical fluid is their function.

Cervix sometimes also houses Nabothian cysts and cervical mucus – an acidic, infertile and thick mucous liquid is secreted by the cervix after the end of the menstrual period to block the external os.

Cervical cancer

The female cervix often under certain conditions falls prey to cervical cancer especially if it has experienced exposure to the deadly strains of HPV or human papilloma virus. Other less harmful HPV strains cause cervical warts. It is possible to detect cervical cancer at an early stage if you regularly conduct Pap smear tests and also HPV tests once you cross the age of 30 years.

Nowadays cervical cancer vaccines like Gardasil are available and others like Cervarix are waiting in the pipeline for FDA’s approval which can prevent and minimize the risk of contracting cervical cancer, even in women who are sexually active, not virgins, but not yet exposed to certain types of deadly HPV strains. It is advised to limit the number of sexual partners and practice taking protection to guard against cervical cancer.

Cancer of the cervix was one of the main causes of female mortality rate being so high before 1955 but between 1955 and 1992, because of hardcore publicity and relentless awareness campaigns the rate of mortality related to cervical cancer has dropped by 74%!

After breast cancer, cancer of the cervix is the most common cancer that affects women.