Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that affects the cells of the cervix, which is the lowest part of the uterus (womb) that connects to the vagina. The cells of the cervix can grow abnormally and invade other tissues. It can also metastasize and spread to other parts of the body if it is not diagnosed and treated on time. More than 13,000 women in the country are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year. It is the fourth most common type of cancer around the world. Most women detected with precancerous changes in the cervix are in their 20s and 30s. The average age of affected patients is 40 years, indicating that cancer takes time to develop, leaving a huge window for early detection.
Cause and risk factors
The primary cause of cervical cancer (for up to 99% of cases) is an HPV (human papillomavirus) infection. There are many types of HPV, and only a small proportion of HPV infections can persist and progress to cancer.
The prevalence of cervical cancer is more common in smokers. Various studies have linked the increase in the incidence of cervical carcinoma to patients who used oral contraceptives for more than five years.
Symptoms
The symptoms of cervical cancer are not noticeable in the early stages. When cancer progresses, it may lead to the symptoms of vaginal bleeding between periods and after sexual intercourse. Unusual and foul-smelling vaginal discharge and pelvic pain are some other symptoms of this condition. In the advanced stages, cancer may spread within the pelvis or elsewhere in the body, causing weight loss, fatigue, and frequent urination.
Diagnosis
Fortunately, nearly all cases of cervical cancer are curable when diagnosed in the early stages. Deaths due to cervical cancer are also on the decline, reducing by around 2 percent every year. The major reason for this is the widespread use of a screening test called the Pap test, or Pap smear. Cells scraped from the cervix are screened for signs of abnormalities. This procedure can help doctors find changes in the cervix before cancer develops or in the early stages when it’s small and relatively easy to cure. It must be noted that most women who are diagnosed with pre-cancerous cell growths have either never had a Pap test or have not had a repeat test after the first one. Doctors advise women over the age of 21 to go for pap tests as this is the age when the risk of cervical cancer begins. Women over 30 and younger women who have had an abnormal result on their Pap test should go for an HPV DNA test. The tests should be continued post-menopause too. If the doctors find the test results suspicious, they will obtain additional tissue using punch biopsy or endocervical curettage where they remove tissues from the cervix for further testing. Other options are Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP) which uses a low voltage wire to obtain a sample under local anesthesia. Cone biopsy is also done in a hospital. These tests will ascertain if cancer is present, and if it is present, then what stage it is at. Doctors will then come up with a suitable plan for treatment.
