Cervical Cancer
The cervix is the lower part of a uterus that connects it to the vagina. Cervical cancer develops in the cells of the cervix. When the cells of the cervix have an unusual growth to an extent that they start invading other organs and tissues of the body; there is the risk of cervical cancer.
Cervical Cancer Symptoms and Signs
Cervical Cancer Symptoms and Signs
Symptoms generally do not occur in the early stages of cervical cancer. In fact, before symptoms start getting evident, cervical cancer cells get detected in a test called Pap Screening / Pap smear test and other related screenings thereafter. Following symptoms develop at the later stage of cancer:
· Heavy menstrual bleeding
· Bleeding between menstruation periods
· Abnormal bleeding of vagina not only during menstrual periods but also after sexual intercourse or douching.
· Bleeding after menopause
Cervical Cancer Causes
Cervical cancer cells develop due to infection from any one of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). HPVs are infections that get sexually transmitted or transmitted through contact of skin to skin There are hundreds of different types of HPV. All do not result in cervical cancer. However, the longstanding ones or cancer-prone HPVs are the risky ones.
Cervical Cancer Stages
Different stages of cervical cancer are kind of measuring scales to understand the extent to which the disease has spread. The stages range from stage 0 to stage IV.
Stage 0 – This is the stage in which the abnormal growth of cells is only in the cervix and have not reached an invasive stage.
Stage I – In this stage, there is the development of a small tumour but it has not spread to distant sites like lymph nodes.
Stage II – In this stage, cancer has spread beyond uterus but has not yet reached the lower part of the vagina or the pelvic walls
Stage III – cancer has spread to walls of the pelvis or lower part of the vagina. There might not be spread of the cancer cells to other parts of the body but a tumour is blocking the tubes through which urine gets passed from kidneys to the bladder.
Stage IV – This is the stage in which cancer cells have got spread to the bladder, up to the rectum, or even to the other organs of the body. Stage IV is known as the advanced stage.
Cervical Cancer Treatment
Treatment depends upon the stage of cancer. Some of the common treatment options are surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy. 
Surgery – Depending upon the extent of cancer, surgery is done to either remove the uterus completely, including surrounding lymph nodes (Pelvic Exenteration) or partially to preserve fertility (Hysterectomy). Hysterectomy is of two types - Cone biopsy and Trachelectomy. Cone Biopsy is a procedure in which inside of the cervix is removed whereas trachelectomy is the procedure of removing upper vagina and cervix.
Radiation Therapy – There are two types of radiation therapy (external beam radiation therapy & brachytherapy) which are used either alternatively or in combination to remove cervical cancer. External beam radiation therapy is radiation from an external source. Brachytherapy is a type of radiation that involves insertion of radioactive sources near the source of a tumour.
Chemotherapy – When radiation therapy is being used for treatment, then chemotherapy gets recommended. It includes administering intravenous drugs and can be given before or after the radiation therapy.
Targeted Therapy – This is a therapy that interrupts cellular processes that lead to the growth of cancer cells in cervical tumours. This therapy prevents the development of new blood cells in the tumours; thus stopping the growth of a tumour. Targeted therapy is mostly prescribed in the advanced stage of cervical cancer.
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