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- How cancer in cervix spread
- Why to worry about the cervical cancer?
- What are the risks of cervical cancer?
- Treatment of HPV
- What causes cervical cancer?
- Statistics of cervical cancer
- How to prevent cervical cancer?
- Treatment of cervical cancer
What is cervical cancer?
Cancer is the state in which the growth of white blood cells becomes abnormal. The cells of body stops to function perfectly. The division of cells is very fast and thus out of control and results into growths or tumors.
As it is clear from the name that cervical cancer belongs to the cervix. Cervix is the lower and narrow part of the womb (uterus) where uterus is in the shape of a pear and internally hollow organ in which baby develops during pregnancy. A canal is formed by cervix that opens into the birth canal, known as vagina that goes outside the body.
How cancer in cervix spread?
It has been seen that the common cause of cervical cancer is human papilloma virus (HPV) – a virus that transfers from one person to another by the virtue of genital contact, most of the times during vaginal or anal intercourse. Those persons who have sex with multiple persons are more likely to avail the HPV. However in case of woman who only once has had a genital contact can become a colony of HPV. It is pertinent to remember that all those women who have had the HPV are not likely to avail cervical cancer.
The chances of growing cancer in the cervix are mostly due to smoking, having reduced immunity or HIV or not undergoing regular Pap tests. Pap cells are employed for keeping an eye on the changes of cervical cells so cancerous cells can be diagnosed in an early stage and any kind of expected tumor can be treated in time.
Why to worry about the cervical cancer?
Most of the people do not consider cervical cancer a serious condition but it is. And fortunately it is a condition that can be prevented. Cervical cancer emerge when normal cells in the cervix become cancerous and it is a procedure that usually take very long time to emerge but in certain cases the cancer evolves in a very short span of time.
What are the risks of cervical cancer?
A risk factor is a state or encounter that can multiply the chances of availing some disease in a person. The risk factors of different cancers are different. The possibility can be explained by presenting the case of skin cancer that erupts as a result of skin exposure to the sun light. Smoking is considered to be a risk factor for a number of cancers. One must not forget that having one or a number of risk factors does not mean that a person will always acquire the disease. The risk factor only signifies that one is likely to get affected.
There are a number of risk factors that can contribute to the development of cervical cancer. Most of the cervical cancer patients are found to have these risk factors but all women who are diagnosed with these risk factors are not the patients of cancer in the cervix. After cervical cancer starts to emerge in a woman or a woman is found to be in her pre-cancerous state the physicians can not point out with complete confidence which risk factor has lead to the cancer.
When one talk about the risk factors then the effort must be to avoid or tackle those issues that can be changed such as human papilloma virus infection or the habit of smoking, instead of worrying about things that can never be changed such as family history and increasing age. Those women who have unalterable risk factors must keep an eye on the development and changes of their body and must undergo Pap test so the detection of cervical cancer can be made in time and the life of the patient can be saved.
The risk factors of cervical cancers are as follows:
- Human Papilloma Virus Infection (HPV)
Human papilloma virus is one of the strongest risk factors for the cancer in the cervix. HPV is composed of a group of 100 related viruses that are able to infect the cells of the skin, throat, mouth, anus and genitals. The group is named papilloma virus because the virus results in the emergence of tumors known as papilloma. Papilloma is not cancerous and are usually called wart.
HPV is capable of transferring from one person to another during skin to skin contact. HPV also moves from one person to another during sex whether it is in vagina or in anal or even oral sex. However, one must not forget that sexual intercourse is not necessary to spread the HPV. All that matters is the contact of one’s skin with the skin of patient of HPV.
It is the opinion of doctor that all those women who are diagnosed with cervical cancer must acquire HPV earlier. There are types of HPV that are considered to be most risky because they definitely lead to the cervical cancer such as HPV 45, HPV 33, HPV 31, HPV 18 and HPV 16. According to a careful estimate HPV 16 and HPV 18 cause two third of the cervical cancer cases. These highly risky types are also found to be involved in other anogenital cancer such as penile cancer of men, anal cancer in both men and women, and vulvar and vaginal cancer in women.
Inmost of the cases it is observed that the immune system of body fights off the virus and avoid the development of cancerous cells in cervix. The reasons of cervical cancer development in certain women, whose immune system can not defend the HPV, are unknown. There is no cure for HPV infection but there are ways by the help of which the abnormal growths in the cervix can be controlled.
HPV is usually discovered in young women. It is rarely diagnosed in women above the age of 30, the reasons are not clear. The HPV can stay in the organs without giving away a single symptom for years. Even those people who do not have any kind of warts can still have HPV, and cause others to avail the virus.
Treatment of HPV
Condoms do not give complete protection against the transmission of HPV because the virus moves through skin to skin contact. However, condoms are helpful in getting rid of the HPV infection in a short span of time and helps in improving the result of Pap test.
There are also vaccines to protect people against some types of HPV. The Food and Drug Department in United States has approved Gardasil® - a vaccine that is used to protect from HPV 6, HPV 11, HPV 16 and HPV 18. Cervarix® is another vaccine that is under examination and will be hopefully approved by the FDA in near future. Some other vaccines are also developed. All they can do is to reduce the risk factors of developing the cancerous tumors.
- Cigarette addiction
Those women who are used to smoke are more likely to get cancer of the cervix. Smoking brings a number of those chemical substances that are dangerous for not only lungs but also for all other organs. The injurious matter is absorbed by the lungs and then transported throughout the body with the bloodstream. In the cervical mucus of smoker women tobacco by products are discovered. It is believed among the researchers that such substances are responsible for damaging the DNA of cervix cells and play significant role in the development of cervical cancer.
- Immuno-suppression
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) – a virus that is known for damaging the body’s natural defense system – is also responsible for increasing the risks of HPV infection in women. In the light of this argument the possibility of cervical cancer in the patients of AIDS is evident. It is known among researchers that a good immune system can not only control or slow down the growth of cancerous cell but can also destroy the cancer cells. Women with HIV are more likely to develop a cervical pre-cancer into an invasive cancer in a faster rate.
- Chlamydia infection
Chlamydia is a common type of bacteria that is known for its tendency to affect the reproductive system. By sexual contact the bacteria moves from one body to another. The infection by Chlamydia is known for causing pelvic inflammation that can lead to infertility. In those women who have this bacteria (as per discovered by the blood tests) are more likely to develop cervical cancer. Infection of Chlamydia is found to transmit no symptoms in most of the cases. During pelvic examination, women must also be tested for Chlamydia because without the test there is no way of knowing whether the bacteria exists within the body or not.
- Poor diet
All those women whose intake of vegetables and fruits is very low are at more risks of gaining cervical cancer. Adenocarcinoma develops in women who are overweight.
- Oral contraceptives (the birth control pills)
The risk factor of getting cervical cancer multiplies in women who take oral contraceptives (OCs) for a long time. After stopping the use of OCs the risk of getting the cervix cancer goes back but continuing the use of OCs will increase the risk. It has been shown through a study that those women who use such birth control pills for more than five years have double risk of availing the cancer where the risk gets normal after the 10 years of stopping the use of OCs.
- Several full-term pregnancies
Those women who have three or more than three successive pregnancies are at more risk of gaining cervical cancer. There are numerous reasons stated by different scientists but no one is sure of the exact reason and the validness of this risk. It is opined that the changes in hormones during pregnancy make women more susceptible of HPV infection. It is also thought that the immune system of a woman who has undergone pregnancy continually is weaker than the other women.
- Having pregnancy at young age
All those girls who get pregnant before 17 years old are two times more likely to acquire the cervical cancer in their later life in comparison to those women who get pregnant after 25 years of age.
- Family history
Just like other cancers, cervical cancer also runs in families. In case your mother or sister is a victim of cervical cancer than you are two to three times more likely to have the cancer as compared to those women who have no family history of cervical cancer.
What causes cervical cancer?
Scientists are progressing towards figuring out the causes of development of cancer among the cervix cells. The development of normal cells in human beings depends on the information confined in chromosomes of cells. Larger molecules of DNA are called chromosomes. DNA - a chemical substance - is responsible for keeping information of all that our cells can do. Children are similar to parents just because of these DNA however the affects of DNA are far greater than what they look like.
Packets of DNA named as genes are known for keeping instructions for controlling the growth and the division of cells. Oncogenes are those genes that are known for promoting cell division. Gene defects of DNA mutation lead to cancer as it turn off genes that suppress tumors or turn on oncogenes.
HPV produces two proteins E6 and E7 and these proteins turn off the genes that turn off tumors. This results in the uncontrolled growth of cervical lining cells which in some cases leads to cancer. However HPV alone does not explain the cervical cancer substantially as many women with HPV do not get the cancer.
Statistics of cervical cancer
The most recent estimates by the American Cancer Society estimates cervical cancer in 2009 in the habitants of United States:
- About 11270 new cases of invasive cervical cancer will be discovered; and
- About 4070 women will die of cervical cancer.
Some researches have shown that non-invasive cancer is about four times more common as compared to invasive cervical cancer.
How to prevent cervical cancer?
Vaccines are developed for preventing only certain types of HPV infection. In a span of six months the vaccine is given in three doses to the women. In case of pregnancy the vaccine is not given until the baby is born. It is estimated that about 30 per cent of the cervical cancer will not be cured through vaccines but the hope lies in other ways that can be adopted for fighting the HPV. Regular Pap test and the examination of pelvic can help in pointing out changes in cells before any disaster. Practicing safe sex is vital in reducing the risk factor.
We have characterized some steps that can help in securing one from getting infected:
Do not have sex: This is the best although impossible way to avoid the infection. Any kind of STI can be prevented by avoiding oral, vaginal or anal sex.
Be faithful in your relation: Having sexual intercourse with a single partner also reduces the risks of cervical cancer. Both partners must have sex with each other only.
Using condoms during intercourse: HPV is not restricted to women. It is found in the genital areas of both men and women. The genital areas are not covered with condom however the use of condom reduces the risk. It is advices that condom must be used every time whether one goes through oral, anal or vaginal sex.
Doctors are responsible for suggesting one type of treatment in a certain case and an altogether different treatment in another case. The patient and doctor must undergo detailed discussion before starting the treatment. The treatment depends on the stage of cervical cancer. The stage of a cancer is defined by its size, location, depth of invasion and its spread. Surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are commonly employed for treating the cervix cancer. Sometimes the treatment is composed of a combination of more than one therapy. The goal of the doctor is to recover the patient at any cost or by any combination of treatments. In case the cure is impossible then the doctor focuses on destroying maximum number of cancerous cells so the patient can live longer and feel better. One must remember that the treatment carried out to relieve the symptoms is known as palliative treatment.
- How cancer in cervix spread
- Why to worry about the cervical cancer?
- What are the risks of cervical cancer?
- Treatment of HPV
- What causes cervical cancer?
- Statistics of cervical cancer
- How to prevent cervical cancer?
- Treatment of cervical cancer
Related Links:
Useful Links:
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/knowledge
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/cervical
You can also find out more about cervical cancer by contacting womenshealth.gov at 1-800-994-9662 or the following organizations:
National Cancer Institute, NIH, HHS
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccines for Cervical Cancer
Phone number: (800) 422-6237
Internet address: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/hpv-vaccines
National Cancer Institute Cancer Information Service, NIH, HHS
Phone number: (800) 422-6237
Internet address: http://cis.nci.nih.gov
National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, CDC, NIH
Phone number: (800) 232-6348
Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/index.htm
American Cancer Society
Phone number: (800) ACS-2345
Internet address: http://www.cancer.org
Gynecologic Cancer Foundation
Phone number: (800) 444-4441
Internet address: http://www.thegcf.org/
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