Cervical Cancer: An overview

What is cervical cancer?

Cancer is a large group of diseases resulting from the uncontrolled division of cells triggered by various reasons. Depending on the organ in which it occurs, cancer gets its name. Cervical cancer occurs in the cervix, the region at the end of the uterus connecting it to the vagina. Women above 30 are at high risk of developing this cancer. HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) is the main cause of this disease and is usually transmitted sexually. There are two types of cervical cancer, squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Symptoms are rarely detected early as it becomes evident only in the last stages.

What causes cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is the most common cause of death due to cancer in women and is prevalent in the age group of  35-40. All women are at risk of developing cervical cancer due to chronic infection of human papillomavirus, which commonly occurs in them, but only some women develop cervical cancer. It is transmitted by sexual contact.

How many stages in cervical cancer?

Once a patient is diagnosed with cervical cancer, tests are performed to know whether the cancer cells are localised only within the cervix or have spread to different parts of the body. This process is referred to as staging and helps in determining its progression. The stages of cancer include Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3 and Stage 4.

How to detect cervical cancer?

Early detection is the key to the better survival of cervical cancer patients. The screening test includes the PAP smear test and HPV DNA test. Pap smear is the gold standard test done to detect the presence of any abnormal cells in the cervix, which include both cancer cells and cells which show signs of developing into cancer cells.

What is the treatment for cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer in its earliest stage can be treated with surgery or radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy. If detected in later stages, mainly radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy is used. In advanced stages, chemotherapy is used.

Is cervical cancer curable?

Yes, cervical cancer is curable if it is detected early. However, it generally gets diagnosed only in later stages as it does not show pronounced primary symptoms. A yearly Pap smear, with HPV testing for every three years, can detect cervical cancer in its initial stages, during which it can be treated easily.

Can cervical cancer cause dizziness?

Yes, cervical cancer can cause dizziness. Cervical cancer does not show any significant symptoms in its early stages. You may feel tired or dizzy, which might be due to blood loss during periods. If you experience such symptoms, kindly visit the doctor.

Is cervical cancer deadly?

Yes, cervical cancer can be deadly if not detected and treated early. It takes years to develop cervical cancer, during which cervical cells grow in rapid numbers. If cancer is detected in the early stages, before the cells mature into cancer cells, cervical cancer can be treated. If left untreated, it can spread to other parts of the body and turn out to be deadly.

Can males get cervical cancer?

HPV infections that cause cervical cancer can also cause genital cancer, but this is a rare possibility. Genital warts can occur in men similar to women. The incidence of occurrence in men is also associated with sexual transmission and might develop penile or anal cancer, both caused by HPV.

Is cervical cancer rare?

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer occurring in women, according to the survey by  WHO. Women of all age groups may develop cancer, but it is more common in women of the age group of 30-45 who are sexually active. Women under 25 rarely develop this cancer. Taking the full course of cervical cancer vaccine can reduce the risk by 63%.

How do you get cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is caused by the chronic infection of HPV(Human Papillomavirus), which is very common the world over. It is transmitted through sexual contact and most women would have been infected with it once at least in their lifetime. However, it might lead to cervical cancer if the virus is persistent and the body’s immune system cannot counter it.

References:

• https://www.cancer.gov/types/cervical/patient/cervical-screening-pdq
• https://scielosp.org/article/spm/2003.v45suppl3/345-353/en/