Cervical cancer is the cancer of cervix region. When there is any abnormal growth of cells all over the cervix region and that which spreads to other regions, it is the condition of cervical cancer. Just the entrance of the uterus, that is, the cervix gets affected. The narrow region of lower uterus which is often known as the ‘neck of womb’ is affected due to cervical cancer. More than 4000 women in the United States die due to cancer in the cervix. Most of the times, cancer in the cervix is caused due to human papillomavirus. To prevent HPV from invading, HPV vaccine may be given. Radiation therapy is an effective treatment for cervical cancer.
The signs and symptoms of cancer in the cervix
There are various symptoms of cervical cancer. Some of them are given below:
- heavy bleeding in between the periods
- bleeding just after the intimate relation
- bleeding in the menopausal phase
- foul vaginal discharge
- pain in the pelvic region
If you show any of the above mentioned symptoms of cervical cancer, take a quick action and get diagnosed. These symptoms may also show due to vaginal infection and so correct and accurate diagnosis is required.
The various causes
Cervical cancer treatment has to be determined as per the stage of cervical cancer. The stage of cervical cancer may be from 0-4. The more advanced the stage, worse is the condition. The following are the main causes of cervical cancer:
- Uncontrolled growth or division of the cells within the cervix that fail to die or keep on dividing. The end result is the formation of cancerous lump in the cervix.
- HPV or human papillomavirus is transmitted sexually
- Being active sexually at a very tender age or having multiple sex partners
- If the person is affected with HPV, it will be surely transmitted to another person
- Smoking increases the likelihood for getting cervical cancer
- weak immune system is also the cause of cervical cancer whereby the ones affected by HIV are at a greater risk
- too much of stress may force you to adopt self-destructive coping mediums like cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol consumption
- several pregnancies can also cause cancer in the cervix
- prolonged usage of birth control pills
- STDs like gonorrhea, Chlamydia or others increase the risk.
The treatment options for cervical cancer
You may be wondering about the treatment for cervical cancer. A combination of treatment procedures may bring about quick relief. The best treatments are chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery. The cancer specialist can include a mix of all the treatments. Then, the kind of treatment to be adopted also relies on the stage at which the cancer is and the age of the person. If there are other medical conditions, the doctor will have to be more careful. If the cancer cells have only spread to the cervix region, the chance of survival is more. But, if they have spread to other organs, it is difficult to treat. Constant monitoring is required at all stages of cervical cancer. Radiotherapy or XRT involves the usage of high-energy beams or X-Rays to destroy the cancer cells. Chemotherapy also destroys the cancer cells.
Radio therapy is also a suitable breast cancer treatment. This therapy is effective and can kill cancer cells.