Cervical Cancer - For Female Eyes Only!
by: RichardHEalom |
Total views: 8 |
Word Count: 1145 | Print View
INTRODUCTION: Cervical cancer is a malignancy of the cervix uteri or cervical area. it is a carcinoma, typically made up of squamous cells, and is akin in some respects to squamous cell cancers of the head, neck and anus. These malignancies and cervical pre-cancers are classified by how they appear under a microscope.
In developed countries, the broad use of cervical screening programs has reduced the incidence of invasive cancer of the cervix by 50 percent or more. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a necessary factor in the development of practically all cases of cervical cancer.
RISK: The greatest risk factor in the promotion of this malignancy is infection with a high-risk strain of human papillomavirus. Women who have a lot of sexual partners (or who have sex with men or women who have had many partners) have an increased risk. The American Cancer Society provides the following list of risk factors for cervical malignancy: HPV infection, smoking, HIV infection, chlamydia infection, dietary factors, hormonal contraception, multiple pregnancies, exposure to the hormonal drug diethylstilbestrol and a familial history of the condition.
Despite the development of an HPV innoculation, some researchers say that routine neonatal male circumcision is an acceptable way to decrease the risk of cervical cancer in their future female sexual partners. However, in men with low-risk sexual behaviour and monogamous female partners, circumcision makes no difference to the chances of developing the disease.
But having a risk factor, or even a number of them, does not mean that you will develop the disease. Several risk factors increase your chance of getting cervical cancer. Even though these risk factors increase the odds of developing the disease, many women with these risks do NOT develop this malignancy. When a woman develops the cancer or pre-cancerous changes, it sometimes may not be possible to say with certainty that a particular risk factor cause the disease.
when considering risk factors, it helps to focus on those that you can change or avoid (like smoking or HPV infection), rather than those that you cannot (such as your age and family history).
SYMPTOMS: Signs of advanced cervical cancer may include: no appetite, weight loss, fatigue, pelvic pain, back pain, leg pain, single swollen leg, heavy vaginal bleeding, leaking of urine from the vagina, and fracture of bones. Also, moderate pain during sexual intercourse and vaginal discharge are symptoms of the disease. HPV infection can be present for years without any symptoms.
TYPES: There are two main types of cervical cancers: squamous cellcarcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Although nearly all cervical cancers are either squamous cellcarcinomas or adenocarcinomas, other kinds of cancer also can begin in the cervix. These other kinds, such as melanoma, sarcoma, and lymphoma, occur more often in other parts of the body.
Certain forms of HPV are called "high-risk" types because they are often the cause of cancer of the cervix. More than 250 forms of human papilloma virus are acknowledged to exist (some sources indicate more than 200 subtypes). Together, HPV types 16 and 18 currently cause about 70% of infections. Human papilloma virus types 6 and 11 cause about 90 percent of genital wart cases. Different forms of HPVs cause warts on different parts of the body. Some forms cause common warts on the hands and feet. Other types tend to cause warts on the lips or tongue. Still other types of HPV may promote warts on or around the female and male genitalia and in the anal area.
TREATMENT: Treatment consists of surgery (including local excision) in the beginning stages and chemotherapy and radiotherapy in advanced stages of the disease. On June 15, 2006, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of a combination of 2 chemotherapy drugs, hycamtin and cisplatin for women with late-stage (IVB) cervical malignancy.
Because of treatment, the five year relative survival rate for the earliest stage of invasive cancer of the cervix is 92%, and the overall (all stages combined) five year survival rate is about 72%. These statistics may be improved when applied to women newly diagnosed, keeping in mind that these outcome may be partially based on the state of treatment five years ago when the women studied were first diagnosed. With treatment, 80 to 90 percent of women with stage I cancer and 50 to 65% of those with stage II cancer are alive 5 years after diagnosis.
As the cancer metastasizes to other areas of the body, prognosis drops considerably because treatment of local lesions is often more effective than total body treatments such as chemotherapy. 35% of patients with invasive cancer of the cervix have persistent or recurrent disease after treatment. In the majority of cases however the body's immune system fights off the virus, and the infection goes away without any form of treatment.
CONCLUSION: The early stages of cervical cancer may be completely asymptomatic. Types 16 and 18 are generally acknowledged to cause about 70% of cases. Together with type 31, they are the prime risk factors for cancer of the cervix.
The medically approved paradigm, officially endorsed by the American Cancer Society and other organizations, is that a patient must have been infected with human papilloma virus to develop this type of cancer, and is hence viewed as sexually transmitted, but the majority women infected with high risk HPV will not develop the disease. There has not been any definitive proof to support the claim that male circumcision prevents cervical cancer, although some researchers say there is compelling epidemiological evidence that men who have been circumcised are less likely to have a human papilloma virus infection .
Although the pap smear is an effective screening test, confirmation of the diagnosis of this malignancy or pre-cancer requires a biopsy of the cervix. According to the US National Cancer Institute's 2005 Health Information National Trends survey, only 40% of American women surveyed had heard of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and only 20 percent had heard of its link to cancer of the cervix.
In 2008 an estimated 3,870 women in the US will die of cancer of the cervix, and around 11,000 new cases are expected to be diagnosed. The American Cancer Society recommends that screening should begin approximately three years after the onset of vaginal intercourse and/or no later than twenty-one years of age.
The HPV test is a newer technique for cervical cancer triage which detects the presence of HPV infection in the cervix. Since more than 99% of invasive cervical cancers worldwide contain HPV, some researchers recommend that human papillomavirus testing be done together with routine cervical screening. HPV testing can reduce the incidence of grade 2 or 3 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or cancer of the cervix found by subsequent screening tests among women 32-38 years old according to a randomized controlled trial.
Figures suggest that cervical screening is saving 5,000 lives each year in the UK alone by preventing this disease. Worldwide, cancer of the cervix is the fifth most deadly cancer in women.
About the Author
About the author: Richard H. Ealom is an ezinearticles.com writer with more than 50 articles on Diseases,Causes,Cures. To find out more about Cervical Cancer visit Cancer Breakthrough USA! You have permission to use this article as long as this box is left unchanged.
Rating: Not yet rated
