What is cervical cancer?
Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that develops in a woman's cervix (the entrance to the womb from the vagina).
Symptoms
Usually Cancer of the cervix often has no symptoms in its early stages, but the most common is; Unusual vaginal bleeding: In most cases, vaginal bleeding is the first noticeable symptom of cervical cancer. It usually occurs after having sex.
Bleeding at any other time, other than your expected monthly period, is also considered unusual. This includes bleeding after the menopause (when a woman's monthly periods stop). Other symptoms are pain and discomfort during sex and an unpleasant smelling vaginal discharge. But when cervical cancer become more advanced …show more content…
The two types known to have the highest risk are HPV 16 and HPV 18, which cause about 7 out of every 10 cervical cancers.
High-risk types of HPV are thought to contain genetic material that can be passed into the cells of the cervix. This material begins to disrupt the normal workings of the cells, which can eventually cause them to reproduce uncontrollably, leading to the growth of a cancerous tumor. As most types of HPV don't cause any symptoms, you or your partner could have the virus for months or years without knowing it. Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN): Cancer of the cervix usually takes many years to develop. Before it does, the cells in the cervix often show changes known as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or, less commonly, cervical glandular intraepithelial neoplasia (CGIN).
CIN and CGIN are pre-cancerous conditions. Pre-cancerous conditions don't pose an immediate threat to a person's health, but they can potentially develop into cancer in the future.
However, even if you develop CIN or CGIN, the chances of it developing into cervical cancer are very small, and if the changes are discovered during cervical screening, treatment is highly …show more content…
Cancerous cells can also spread through your lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is a series of nodes (glands) and channels spread throughout your body in a similar way to the blood circulation system.
The lymph nodes produce many of the specialised cells needed by your immune system (the body's natural defence against infection and illness). If you have an infection, the nodes in your neck or under your armpits can become swollen.
In some cases of early cervical cancer, the lymph nodes close to the cervix contain cancerous cells. In some cases of advanced cervical cancer, lymph nodes in the chest and abdomen can be affected.
Treatment for Cervical Cancer
Treatment for cervical cancer depends on how far the cancer has spread.
As cancer treatments are often complex, hospitals use multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) to treat cervical cancer and tailor the treatment programme to the individual.
MDTs are made up of a number of different specialists (see below) who work together to make decisions about the best way to proceed with your treatment.
Your cancer team will recommend what they think the best treatment options are, but the final decision will be yours. In most cases, the recommendations will