What is cervex cancer? Can it be cured?

Question

What is cervex cancer? Can it be cured?

Answer 1

Do you mean cervical cancer? Cervical cancer is typically caused by HPV (Human Papaloma Virus). Because it is a virus, it cannot be cured; however, it can still be treated and prevented.

Answer 2

Cervical cancer is malignant cancer of the cervix uteri or cervical area. It may present with vaginal bleeding but symptoms may be absent until the cancer is in its advanced stages. Treatment consists of surgery (including local excision) in early stages and chemotherapy and radiotherapy in advanced stages of the disease.

Pap smear screening can identify potentially precancerous changes. Treatment of high grade changes can prevent the development of cancer. In developed countries, the widespread use of cervical screening programs has reduced the incidence of invasive cervical cancer by 50% or more.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a necessary factor in the development of nearly all cases of cervical cancer.[1] HPV vaccine effective against the two most common cancer-causing strains of HPV has been licensed in the U.S. and the EU. These two HPV strains together are currently responsible for approximately 70%[2][3] of all cervical cancers. Since the vaccine only covers some high-risk types, women should seek regular Pap smear screening, even after vaccinatio

The early stages of cervical cancer may be completely asymptomatic.[5] Vaginal bleeding, contact bleeding or (rarely) a vaginal mass may indicate the presence of malignancy. Also, moderate pain during sexual intercourse and vaginal discharge are symptoms of cervical cancer. In advanced disease, metastases may be present in the abdomen, lungs or elsewhere.

Symptoms of advanced cervical cancer may include: loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, pelvic pain, back pain, leg pain, single swollen leg, heavy bleeding from the v****a, leaking of urine or f***s from the v****a,[6] and bone fractures

The most important risk factor in the development of cervical cancer is infection with a high-risk strain of human papillomavirus. The virus cancer link works by triggering alterations in the cells of the cervix, which can lead to the development of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, which can lead to cancer.

Diagnosis

[edit] Biopsy procedures

While the pap smear is an effective screening test, confirmation of the diagnosis of cervical cancer or pre-cancer requires a biopsy of the cervix. This is often done through colposcopy, a magnified visual inspection of the cervix aided by using an acetic acid (e.g. vinegar) solution to highlight abnormal cells on the surface of the cervix.

Further diagnostic procedures are loop electrical excision procedure (LEEP) and conization, in which the inner lining of the cervix is removed to be examined pathologically. These are carried out if the biopsy confirms severe cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

[edit] Pathologic types

Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, the precursor to cervical cancer, is often diagnosed on examiniation of cervical biopsies by a pathologist. Histologic subtypes of invasive cervical carcinoma include the following:[16][17]

squamous cell carcinoma (about 80-85%)

adenocarcinoma

adenosquamous carcinoma

small cell carcinoma

neuroendocrine carcinoma

Non-carcinoma malignancies which can rarely occur in the cervix include

melanoma

lymphoma

Note that the FIGO stage does not incorporate lymph node involvement in contrast to the TNM staging for most other cancers.

For cases treated surgically, information obtained from the pathologist can be used in assigning a separate pathologic stage but is not to replace the original clinical stage.

For premalignant dysplastic changes, the CIN (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia) grading is used.

[edit] Staging

Cervical cancer is staged by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging system, which is based on clinical examination, rather than surgical findings. It allows only the following diagnostic tests to be used in determining the stage: palpation, inspection, colposcopy, endocervical curettage, hysteroscopy, cystoscopy, proctoscopy, intravenous urography, and X-ray examination of the lungs and skeleton, and cervical conization.

The TNM staging system for cervical cancer is analogous to the FIGO stage.

Stage 0 - full-thickness involvement of the epithelium without invasion into the stroma (carcinoma in situ)

Stage I - limited to the cervix

IA - diagnosed only by microscopy; no visible lesions

IA1 - stromal invasion less than 3 mm in depth and 7 mm or less in horizontal spread

IA2 - stromal invasion between 3 and 5 mm with horizontal spread of 7 mm or less

IB - visible lesion or a microscopic lesion with more than 5 mm of depth or horizontal spread of more than 7 mm

IB1 - visible lesion 4 cm or less in greatest dimension

IB2 - visible lesion more than 4 cm

Stage II - invades beyond cervix

IIA - without parametrial invasion, but involve upper 2/3 of v****a

IIB - with parametrial invasion

Stage III - extends to pelvic wall or lower third of the v****a

IIIA - involves lower third of v****a

IIIB - extends to pelvic wall and/or causes hydronephrosis or non-functioning kidney

IVA - invades mucosa of bladder or r****m and/or extends beyond true pelvis

IVB - distant metastasis

[edit] Treatment

Microinvasive cancer (stage IA) is usually treated by hysterectomy (removal of the whole uterus including part of the v****a). For stage IA2, the lymph nodes are removed as well. An alternative for patients who desire to remain fertile is a local surgical procedure such as a loop electrical excision procedure (LEEP) or cone biopsy.[18]

If a cone biopsy does not produce clear margins,[19] one more possible treatment option for patients who want to preserve their fertility is a trachelectomy.[20] This attempts to surgically remove the cancer while preserving the ovaries and uterus, providing for a more conservative operation than a hysterectomy. It is a viable option for those in stage I cervical cancer which has not spread; however, it is not yet considered a standard of care,[21] as few doctors are skilled in this procedure. Even the most experienced surgeon cannot promise that a trachelectomy can be performed until after surgical microscopic examination, as the extent of the spread of cancer is unknown. If the surgeon is not able to microscopically confirm clear margins of cervical tissue once the patient is under general anesthesia in the operating room, a hysterectomy may still be needed. This can only be done during the same operation if the patient has given prior consent. Due to the possible risk of cancer spread to the lymph nodes in stage 1b cancers and some stage 1a cancers, the surgeon may also need to remove some lymph nodes from around the uterus for pathologic evaluation.

A radical trachelectomy can be performed abdominally[22] or vaginally[23] and there are conflicting opinions as to which is better.[24] A radical abdominal trachelectomy with lymphadenectomy usually only requires a two to three day hospital stay, and most women recover very quickly (approximately six weeks). Complications are uncommon, although women who are able to conceive after surgery are susceptible to preterm labor and possible late miscarriage.[25] It is generally recommended to wait at least one year before attempting to become pregnant after surgery.[26] Recurrence in the residual cervix is very rare if the cancer has been cleared with the trachelectomy.[21]Yet, it is recommended for patients to practice vigilant prevention and follow up care including pap screenings/colposcopy, with biopsies of the remaining lower uterine segment as needed (every 3-4 months for at least 5 years) to monitor for any recurrence in addition to minimizing any new exposures to HPV through safe s*x practices until one is actively trying to conceive.

Early stages (IB1 and IIA less than 4 cm) can be treated with radical hysterectomy with removal of the lymph nodes or radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is given as external beam radiotherapy to the pelvis and brachytherapy (internal radiation). Patients treated with surgery who have high risk features found on pathologic examination are given radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy in order to reduce the risk of relapse.

Larger early stage tumors (IB2 and IIA more than 4 cm) may be treated with radiation therapy and cisplatin-based chemotherapy, hysterectomy (which then usually requires adjuvant radiation therapy), or cisplatin chemotherapy followed by hysterectomy.

Advanced stage tumors (IIB-IVA) are treated with radiation therapy and cisplatin-based chemotherapy

hope this helped you :)

Answer 3

Cervical cancer if diagnosed early by routine PAP  smearing is preventable by vaccination  and  curable by radical surgery.

Answer 4

The virus cannot be cured, though many forms of it go away by themselves. There are over twenty different kinds of this virus, and a few of them cause cervical cancer, the ones that don't tend to go away. Cervical cancer is treatable, especially if it's caught early. When a gynecologist does a pap smear, what they're looking for is signs of cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer itself is a cancer of the tissue of the cervix inside the v****a. It is treated by a hysterectomy, which is the removal of basically all the female reproductive organs by surgery. For situations where this can't be done (there's too much of the cancer, for instance), radiation and chemotherapy, though at the stage where this treatment is used, survival rates are getting pretty low vs the above procedure.

Fortunately, we have two vaccines nearly ready that prevent infection by the cancer-causing strains of HPV. Unfortunately, there is intense political pressure from some religious groups (In the US), to suppress these vaccines.