Cervical cancer, a very common type of cancer among gynecological diseases, affects at least 2 out of every 100 women. This disease, which is 98 percent caused by HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), is a preventable disease as it is a fully defined health problem.
Cervical cancer, which does not give many symptoms in the early stages, is usually detected through regular screening tests. Moreover, the cure rate is close to one hundred percent when detected early.
What is cervical cancer?
Cervical cancer, a type of cancer that occurs in the cervix called the cervix, is one of the most common types of cancer in women. This disease, which affects almost 500,000 women a year, is caused by the HPV (Human Papilloma Viruses) virus.
Cancer precursors arise when the cell layer that forms the surface of the cervix turns into abnormal cells. If these precursors are not recognized and treated early, they develop into cervical cancer.
What are the risk factors for cervical cancer?
- Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection
- Sexual intercourse before the age of 16
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Multiple sexual partners
- Immunosuppressive diseases and drugs
- Frequent tobacco and alcohol use
- Poor nutritional conditions
- Family history of cervical cancer
- Being overweight and obese
- Weak immune system
What are the symptoms of cervical cancer?
This disease may not cause any symptoms in the early stages. In the later stages, complaints such as a feeling of fullness and mass in the vagina, pain during sexual intercourse, vaginal bleeding may occur. Bleeding may also occur during sexual intercourse, and may also occur afterwards in the form of drops with a foul odor.
When the tumor invades the bladder and rectum, the person may experience constipation, urine or feces coming from the vagina, bloody urine, enlargement of the urinary tract and kidneys. In addition, pain in the legs, severe lower back and groin pain may also occur due to the spread of the tumor to the pelvic wall.
In addition to all this;
- Pain during urination
- Spotting and bleeding after menopause
- Irregular bleeding between menstrual periods
- Severe pain in the genitals
- Fatigue and weakness
- Loss of appetite and weight loss may also occur.
How is cervical cancer diagnosed?
The most important advantage of cervical cancer is that it is a completely curable disease when detected early. Therefore, regular screening is vital for detecting the disease at an early stage.
The first step in the diagnosis of cervical cancer is to fully answer the questions that the doctor will ask in order to reveal the history of the disease. At this point, questions such as the age of the first sexual experience, whether pain is felt during sexual intercourse, whether there is bleeding during or after intercourse should be answered. Then the physical examination is started and the genital structure of the person is examined.
A pap smear cytology test is performed to detect abnormal cells. A biopsy sample is taken from potentially dangerous cells to diagnose cancer and determine the stage of the cancer. Many different tests are performed to determine the stage of the cancer.
These include rectovaginal examination, where the rectum and vaginal area are examined at the same time, CT MRI, also called computed tomography, and PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scanning.
How is cervical cancer treated?
The treatment of cervical cancer, which is categorized under 2 main groups as surgery and radiotherapy, varies according to the course of the disease. Radiotherapy is a treatment approach that can be used at any stage. However, this approach is mostly preferred in advanced stages. Since the spread of the disease is less in the early stages, surgical operations are preferred.
With the surgical operation, the primary tumor located in the cervix area and possible spread areas are removed and the patient is aimed to regain her health.