Cervical Cancer
The uterine cervix is the lowest portion of a woman’s uterus (womb). Most of the uterus lies in the pelvis, but part of the cervix is located in the vagina, where it connects the uterus with the vagina.
Cancer of the cervix occurs when the cells of the cervix change in a way that leads to abnormal growth and invasion of other tissues or organs of the body.
Like all cancers, cancer of the cervix is much more likely to be cured if it is detected early and treated immediately.
• One of the key features of cervical cancer is its slow progression from normal cervical tissue, to precancerous (or dysplastic) changes in the tissue, to invasive cancer.
• The slow progression through numerous precancerous changes is very important because it provides opportunities for prevention and early detection and treatment.
• These opportunities have caused the decline of cervical cancer over the past decades in the United States.
Invasive cancer means that the cancer affects the deeper tissues of the cervix and may have spread to other parts of the body. This spread is called metastasis. Cervical cancers don’t always spread, but those that do most often spread to the lungs, the liver, the bladder, the vagina, and/or the rectum.
Cervical Cancer Symptoms – Signs Of Cervical Cancer
You may not experience any cervical cancer symptoms — early cervical cancer generally produces no signs or symptoms. This is why regular screening is so important. As the cancer progresses, the following signs and symptoms of more advanced cervical cancer may appear:
• Vaginal bleeding after intercourse, between periods or after menopause
• Watery, bloody vaginal discharge that may be heavy and have a foul odor
• Pelvic pain or pain during intercourse
Cervical cancer treatment
Treatments – There are many ways to treat cervical cancer.
(1) Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure {LEEP} which can be performed in the doctors office under local anesthetic, where electrically charged wire loop is used to remove the outer portion of the cervix that contains the abnormal tissue.
(2) Cryosurgery can also be performed in the doctors office and this does not require an anesthetic. This procedure freezes and kills the abnormal cells of the cervix when a silver probe is placed against the cervix.
(3)Cryosurgery Hysterectomy is another treatment that I would want to mention. Here the uterus is removed through the abdomen or vagina. This is a major surgery that requires the patient staying overnight in the hospital. It is usually performed on pre- invasive lesions and sometimes for women who have had more than one relapse and no longer have enough tissue to perform another LEEP
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