Cervical cancer is an anomaly of the cervix which is a non-treatable disease. Of course, cancer is a phenomenon in which cells of the body divide themselves and invade other tissues. In other words, your body will be eaten slowly by some elements of itself. Found only in females and part of the female reproductive system, the cervix is part of the uterus. Since it is only found in women, cervical cancer is the second topmost cause of cancer death in the world for women.
Cervical cancer, like all other forms of cancer, is divided into several stages. As the stages advance, the possibility of survival is grimly slimmer. The third stage becomes significantly dangerous since cancer cells at this stage invade beyond the uterus.
In its early stages, cervical cancer is treated first by removing the uterus of the person. For the second stage, the lymph nodes of the uterus are removed as well. Should a woman wants to preserve her fertility, a surgery called cone biopsy is performed. If cone biopsy cannot guarantee the continued fertility of the woman, a trachelectomy is performed. For the tumor stage, radiation therapy and cisplatin-based chemotherapy are performed or either of the two depending on the recommendation of the physician. Radiation therapy may be external or internal. In external radiation therapy, radiation is beamed towards the part of the body where the cervix is located. It works just like your typical x ray machine. But in internal radiation, a device filled with radioactive material is placed in the vagina to prevent the cancer from spreading.
But prevention is still better than treatment. So vaccines are now available for the possible prevention of cervical cancer. One of them is branded as Gardasil. It is developed by Merck. Gardasil is targeted to women aged 9-26. Glaxosmithkline is developing its own vaccine as well. The brand is named Cervarix. But then again, nothing beats maintaining a healthy lifestyle as prevention. Some of the causes of cervical cancer are smoking, unhealthy diet and use of oral contraceptives.
Diagnosis of cervical cancer is done through biopsy. Visual inspection of the cervix is done with the aid of vinegar. Why vinegar? Because vinegar is acetic. It can highlight cancerous cells in the cervix in the microscope. Remember, a Pap smear is insufficient for the diagnosis. Only a biopsy is not.
Most common symptoms are vaginal bleeding. But be warned though that in the early stages of cervical cancer, symptoms are not present. In advanced stages, the cancer may be present towards other organs of the body, notably in the abdomen and the lungs.
Although cervical cancer is not a sexually transmitted disease, it is a phenomenon occurring among those who are sexually active. Cervical cancer is more common among sex workers. It is less common among nuns and elderly women who have not married. So you can make that conclusion outright.
There is a support group for persons afflicted with cervical cancer. It is called the National Cervical Cancer Coalition. It is founded recently – just in 1997. The National Cervical Cancer Coalition has found out that 11 percent of women in America do not undergo Pap smear. While It may have said above that Pap smear is insufficient for cervical cancer detection, it can somehow help. If Pap smear has discovered an anomaly in your reproductive system, then be warned.
