Cancer of the cervix is the second most common cancer among women worldwide and remains a leading cause of cancer death in women in developing countries. Cancer of the cervix affects women of middle age or older, but it can be diagnosed in a woman of childbearing age. Cervical tumors are classified as preinvasive, where the lower third of the epithelium contains cells abnormal or invasive, the thickness of the epithelium contains abnormally proliferating cells.
Cancer of the cervix develops in the lining of the cervix, the lower part of the uterus (womb), vagina. spread of the cervix is not always, but those that are most prevalent in the lungs, liver, bladder, vagina and / or rectum.
Cause
Cancer of the cervix is almost always develops cellular changes caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) caused by the order for the skin to genital skin contact during sexual activity spread. Cancer of the cervix occurs more often in women who smoke. Sexual activity, the risk of infection with HPV and HIV increases cervical cancer are as follows: After a number of sexual partners or sex with a promiscuous partner, history of sexually transmitted , sex at a young age.
Symptoms and signs
Early stages of cervical cancer may be completely asymptomatic. The symptoms may include loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, abdominal pain, back pain, leg pain, swollen leg for a single, strong vaginal bleeding, leakage of urine or materials faeces into the vagina and bone fractures.
Diagnosis
The Papanicolaou (Pap) test is used for precancerous lesions in asymptomatic women during the last 50 years to the screen. While an effective smear screening, confirmation of diagnosis of cancer or cervical pre-cancer is a cervical biopsy. intraepithelial neoplasia is a precursor of cancer of the cervix, often diagnosed in the study of biopsies by a pathologist.
Other risk factors
Women with a diet low in fruits and vegetables may be at increased risk of cancer of the cervix. Research shows that the risk of cervical cancer rises, it takes a woman oral contraceptives, the risk goes back to the SCO can be stopped. Women who have had pregnancies to term, many have an increased risk of developing cancer of the cervix.
Contraception
Cancer of the cervix is the easiest women to prevent cancer, because there is a vaccine and a screening test available. The vaccine Gardasil protects against known and most dangerous of HPV, and recently published results show that the new cervical tumors may eventually up to 97% reduction in areas where vaccination is introduced and maintained.
Treatment
Treatment depends on the stage of cancer, the size and shape of the tumor, age and general health of the woman and her desire for children in the future. Proper treatment depends on accurate clinical staging. preinvasive stages destruction total excisional biopsy, cryosurgery or laser are discussed. squamous invasive treatment may hysterectomy and radiotherapy.
Internal radiation therapy uses a device with radioactive material is placed in the vagina filled as cancer of the cervix. Some chemotherapy drugs for cancer of the cervix 5-FU, cisplatin, carboplatin, ifosfamide, paclitaxel and cyclophosphamide.
have thirty-five percent of patients with invasive disease, persistent or recurrent tumors after treatment. Recurrent cancer cervical early can be treated successfully by surgery three, radiation and chemotherapy or a combination.
Survival
The probability that in 5 years for cancer that has spread within the walls of the cervix, but does not live outside the throat area is 92%. However, the survival rate at 5 years drops steadily spilling over into other areas. More recently, the combined use of cisplatin and topotecan has shown a significant improvement in survival compared with cisplatin monotherapy. When you combine all the phases together, the five-year survival of over 73%.
If the cancer metastasizes to other parts of the lower body dramatically prediction, since the processing of local lesions is generally more effective than whole body treatments such as chemotherapy.