Cervical Cancer
Understanding
Cervical cancer is a cancer that appears in the cervix of women. The cervix itself serves as the entrance to the uterus from the vagina. All women of all ages are at risk for cervical cancer. But, this disease tends to affect women who are sexually active.
In the early stages, cervical cancer usually has no symptoms. The most common symptoms of cervical cancer are vaginal bleeding that occurs after sex, outside of menstruation, or after menopause. Although there is bleeding, does not mean you have cervical cancer. To ascertain the cause of your condition, immediately ask your doctor. If cervical cancer is suspected, referral to a specialist will be given.
Causes of Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer begins when healthy cells undergo genetic mutations or changes in DNA. This genetic mutation then converts normal cells into abnormal cells. Healthy cells will grow and multiply at a certain speed, while cancer cells grow and multiply uncontrollably.
The number of abnormal cells that continue to grow will form a tumor. Cancer cells that appear then attack the surrounding tissue. This cell can escape from the initial location and spread to other body areas, this process is referred to as metastasis.
Diagnosis of Cervical Cancer
If cervical cancer is detected early, the success rate of treatment becomes higher. Referral to a gynecologist or female reproductive system specialist doctor will be given if the pap smear results show abnormal cells in the cervix. In most cases, the presence of these abnormal cells does not mean uterine cancer. References to gynecologists are also given in case of abnormal bleeding in the vagina to see if there are abnormal changes in the cervix.
1. Colposcopy Procedure. Colposcopy is a cervical examination to look for abnormalities. The doctor will use a special magnifying glass to see the vulva, vagina, and cervix. This process uses a microscope with a small lamp at the end. If visible abnormalities in the colposcopy process, small samples of tissue will be taken from the cervix and examined under a microscope, to see if there are cancer cells in it. The whole process will be done by a gynecologist.
2. Cone Biopsy (Cone Biopsy). A small surgical procedure called cone biopsy may be necessary. The term conical biopsy is used from conical tissue taken from the cervix. The cells of this tissue will be examined by a microscope to check whether there are cancer cells. This procedure is performed in hospitals with local anesthetic use. The side effect is bleeding that may occur up to one month after surgery. In addition, menstruation may also be painful. If the cervix contains cancer cells or potentially cancerous cells, further treatment is needed to ensure that all abnormal cells are removed.
3. Circular electric wire. This procedure will use thin-wire thin-emitting electrical wires to collect tissue samples for further inspection.
Diagnosis of Cervical Cancer
If cervical cancer is detected early, the success rate of treatment becomes higher. Referral to a gynecologist or female reproductive system specialist doctor will be given if the pap smear results show abnormal cells in the cervix. In most cases, the presence of these abnormal cells does not mean uterine cancer. References to gynecologists are also given in case of abnormal bleeding in the vagina to see if there are abnormal changes in the cervix.
1. Colposcopy Procedure. Colposcopy is a cervical examination to look for abnormalities. The doctor will use a special magnifying glass to see the vulva, vagina, and cervix. This process uses a microscope with a small lamp at the end. If visible abnormalities in the colposcopy process, small samples of tissue will be taken from the cervix and examined under a microscope, to see if there are cancer cells in it. The whole process will be done by a gynecologist.
2. Cone Biopsy (Cone Biopsy). A small surgical procedure called cone biopsy may be necessary. The term conical biopsy is used from conical tissue taken from the cervix. The cells of this tissue will be examined by a microscope to check whether there are cancer cells. This procedure is performed in hospitals with local anesthetic use. The side effect is bleeding that may occur up to one month after surgery. In addition, menstruation may also be painful. If the cervix contains cancer cells or potentially cancerous cells, further treatment is needed to ensure that all abnormal cells are removed.
3. Circular electric wire. This procedure will use thin-wire thin-emitting electrical wires to collect tissue samples for further inspection.
Benefits of Further Examination
With a biopsy examination, the patient can tell if it has cervical cancer and whether it has spread. If there is cervical cancer, further examination is needed to determine the extent of the spread of cancer, among others:
a. Blood tests: performed to check the condition of the liver, kidneys, and bone marrow.
Examination of pelvic organs: uterus, vagina, rectum, and bladder will be checked for cancer.
b. CT scan: scanning interior body condition with computer to get three-dimensional image. Useful to see which cancer grows and whether the cancer has spread to other body parts.
c. Chest X-rays: to see if the cancer has spread to the lungs.
d. MRI scan: scanning uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves produce images from within the body. Useful to see if the cancer has spread and how far the spread.
e. PET scan: if combined with CT scan, this procedure can see the spread of cancer and also check the response of a person to the treatment performed.
Cervical Cancer Stage
Stage of cancer suffered can be determined after all tests completed. Staging is used to explain how far the cancer has spread. If the stage of cancer is higher, then the spread is more widespread. Here is a cervical cancer stage based on its spread:
Stage 0 : pre-cancerous stage. There are no cancer cells in the cervix, but there are biological changes that can potentially become cancerous. This stage is often referred to as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or carcinoma in situ (CIS).
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| Cervical Cancer Stage |
Stage 1 : Cancer is still inside the cervix and there is no spread.
Stage 2 : The cancer has spread beyond the cervix and in the surrounding tissue. But it has not reached the pelvic wall or the bottom of the vagina.
Stage 3 : The cancer has spread to the wall of the stage and / or to the bottom of the vagina.
Stage 4 : the cancer has spread to the intestines, bladder, or other organs, such as the lungs.
Type of Cervical Cancer
By detecting the type of cervical cancer that diidap by patients will help the treatment process and proper handling. There are two types of cervical cancer, namely:
1. Squamous cell carcinoma, is a type of cervical cancer that begins in the outer layer of the cervical cells thin and flat (squamous cells) protruding into the vagina. The majority of cases of cervical cancer that arise are of this type.
2. Adenocarcinoma, is a type of cervical cancer that begins in colloidal gland cells in the cervical canal.