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Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer was once one of the most common causes of cancer death, but death rates have dropped dramatically over the last 40 years. This is due to the widespread use of the Pap test, an examination performed in your doctor's office to detect abnormal cells before cancer develops. Nevertheless, about 1300 Canadian women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year and approximately 390 die from the disease.
What is cervical cancer?
Cervical cancer develops when cells in the cervix begin to grow out of control and can then invade nearby tissues or spread throughout the body. Large collections of cells that grow abnormally are called tumors. Some tumors are not cancer, because they cannot spread or threaten someone's life. These are called benign tumors. The tumors that can spread throughout the body or invade nearby tissues are considered cancer and are called malignant tumors. Usually, cervix cancer is very slow growing, although in certain circumstances it can grow and spread quickly.
Cervical Cancer Causes
Cervical cancer begins with abnormal changes in the cervical tissue. The risk of developing these abnormal changes has been associated with certain factors, including previous infection with human papillomavirus (HPV), early sexual contact, multiple sexual partners, cigarette smoking, and taking oral contraceptives (birth control pills).
The development of cervical cancer is very slow. It starts as a pre-cancerous condition called dysplasia.
This pre-cancerous condition can be detected by a Pap smear and is 100% treatable. That is why it is so important for women to get regular Pap smears. Most women that are diagnosed with cervical cancer today have not had regular Pap smears or they have not followed up on abnormal results.
Signs and Symptoms
Early changes in the cells of the cervix (epithelial abnormalities) rarely cause symptoms.If early cell changes develop into cervical cancer, the most common signs include:
· vaginal bleeding between periods
· menstrual bleeding that is longer or heavier than usual
· bleeding after intercourse
· pain during intercourse
· unusual vaginal discharge
· vaginal bleeding after menopause
· excessive tiredness
· leg pain or swelling
· low back pain.
Diagnosis
Unlike some cancers, cervical cancer is slow growing and can take a long time to develop; the average is around ten years.
Early changes, which may or may not develop into cancer, appear as abnormal cells on the surface of the cervix and can be picked up by a Pap smear. If these pre-cancerous abnormalities are considered to be severe enough, they can be treated before they develop into cancer.
There are two types of cervical cancer proper, named after the type of cell they initially form in: squamous cell carcinoma, which is the most common type and forms in the cells on the surface of the cervix, and adenocarcinoma, which is less common and forms in the mucus-producing gland cells in the cervical canal.
Treatment
Treatment of cervical cancer depends on the stage of the cancer, the size and shape of the tumor, the age and general health of the woman, and her desire to have children in the future.
Early cervical cancer can be cured by removing or destroying the pre-cancerous or cancerous tissue. There are various surgical ways to do this without removing the uterus or damaging the cervix, so that a woman can still have children in the future.
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