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Cervical Cancer

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What Is Cervical Cancer?

Cervical cancer starts in the cells lining the cervix -- the lower part of the uterus (womb). The cervix connects the body of the uterus (the upper part where a fetus grows) to the vagina (birth canal). Cancer starts when cells in the body begin to grow out of control.

The cervix is made of two parts and is covered with two different types of cells.

  1. • The endocervix is the opening of the cervix that leads into the uterus. It is covered with glandular cells.
  2. • The exocervix (or ectocervix) is the outer part of the cervix . It is covered in squamous cells.

The place where these two cell types meet in the cervix is called the transformation zone. The exact location of the transformation zone changes as you get older and if you give birth. Most cervical cancers begin in the cells in the transformation zone.

Abnormal changes in cells of the cervix

Cells in the transformation zone do not suddenly change into cancer. Instead, the normal cells of the cervix first gradually develop abnormal changes that can turn into cancer.. You might hear these abnormal changes referred to as pre-cancers or pre-cancer changes.

When these abnormal changes in the cervix are found, they are graded on a scale of 1 to 3 based on how much of the cervical tissue looks abnormal.

  1. • In CIN1 (also called mild dysplasia or low grade SIL), not much of the tissue looks abnormal. Most often, these cells will change back to normal cells.
  2. • In CIN2 or CIN3 (also called moderate/severe dysplasia or high-grade SIL) more of the tissue looks abnormal. With these cell changes, there is higher risk that the cells can become cancer cells.

Although cervical cancers start from cells with abnormal changes, only some women with these changes of the cervix will develop cancer. For most women, these abnormal cells will go away without any treatment. But, in some women these abnormal cells can turn into true (invasive) cancers. Treating abnormal changes in cervical cells can prevent almost all cervical cancers.

The goal of cervical cancer screening is to find abnormal cells in the cervix or cervical cancer early when it is more treatable and curable. Regular screening can prevent cervical cancers and save lives. The tests for cervical cancer screening are the HPV test and the Pap test. Pre-cancerous changes can be detected by the Pap test and treated to prevent cancer from developing. The HPV test looks for infection by high-risk types of HPV that are more likely to cause pre-cancers and cancers of the cervix. HPV infection has no treatment.

Types of Cervical cancer

Cervical cancers and cervical pre-cancers are classified by how they look in the lab s with a microscope. The main types of cervical cancers are squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma.

  1. • Most (up to 9 out of 10) cervical cancers are squamous cell carcinomas. These cancers develop from cells in the exocervix. Squamous cell carcinomas most often begin in the transformation zone (where the exocervix joins the endocervix).
  2. • Most of the other cervical cancers are adenocarcinomas. Adenocarcinomas are cancers that develop from glandular cells. Cervical adenocarcinoma develops from the mucus-producing gland cells of the endocervix.
  3. • Less commonly, cervical cancers have features of both squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas. These are called adenosquamous carcinomas or mixed carcinomas.

Although almost all cervical cancers are either squamous cell carcinomas or adenocarcinomas, other types of cancer also can develop in the cervix. These other types, such as melanoma, sarcoma, and lymphoma, occur more commonly in other parts of the body. Only the more common cervical cancer types are covered here.

HPV (Human Papillomavirus)

The human papillomavirus (HPV) and its link to cervical cancer and many types of other cancer.

Risk Factors

There is no sure way to prevent cancer, but you can help reduce your risk by making healthy choices like eating right, staying active, and not smoking.

Living as a Cervical Cancer Survivor

For other women, the cancer may never go away completely. These women may get regular treatments natural therapy, or other therapies to try to control the cancer for as long as possible.

Follow-up care

If you have completed treatment, your doctors will still want to watch you closely. It’s very important to go to all of your follow-up appointments. Your doctor visits are a good time to ask questions and talk about any changes or problems you notice or concerns you have. During these visits, your doctors will ask if you are having any problems and may order exams and lab tests or imaging tests to look for signs of cancer or treatment side effects.

Almost any cancer treatment can have side effects. Some might only last for a few days or weeks, but others might last a long time. Some side effects might not even show up until years after you have finished treatment.