What is cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is cancer that starts on the surface of your cervix. It occurs when the cells on your cervix begin to develop into precancerous cells. Infection with HPV (human papillomavirus) causes nearly all cervical cancer. HPV is a sexually transmitted virus. You can reduce your risk of cervical cancer by having regular cervical cancer screenings (such as a Pap smear) and being vaccinated against HPV.

Cervical cancer rarely generates signs until it has started to spread. That's why screening regularly and the HPV vaccine are so crucial. Cervical cancer is very curable when diagnosed in the early stages. A doctor can treat it through surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and other cancer medications.

What are the warning signs of cervical cancer?

When it begins, cervical cancer may not produce symptoms. As it develops, cervical cancer may produce signs and symptoms, including:

• Bleeding from the vagina after sex, between menstrual periods or after menopause.
• Heavier and longer-lasting menstrual bleeding.
• Watery or bloody discharge from the vagina that is heavy and has a bad smell.
• Pelvic pain or pain during sexual intercourse.

What causes cervical cancer?

HPV causes most cervical cancers. HPV is a sexually transmitted infection. HPV is spread by sexual contact (anal, oral or vaginal) and can cause cancer. Most individuals will contract HPV sometime during their lives and not even know it because their bodies battled the infection. But if your body cannot battle the infection, it will change the cells of your cervix to cancer cells.

HPV and cervical cancer

There are over 100 types of HPV, and ten or so of them have been found to cause cancer. Detection of these types of HPV is critical in avoiding cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine can prevent HPV infection by giving you immunity from the HPV that causes up to 90% of all cervical cancers.

Who's at risk for cervical cancer?

In most instances, you can have no risk factors for cervical cancer that you are aware of. At other times, you can have one or more risk factors. Some risk factors that you can control are:

• Screening history: Individuals who have not had Pap tests at regular intervals are likely to develop cervical cancer (since Pap tests can identify precancerous cells).
• HPV infection: Some HPVs lead to cervical cancer. Reducing your risk of HPV can also reduce your risk of cervical cancer.
• Sexual history: Being sexually active before age 18 and having multiple sex partners could increase your risk of HPV infection.
• Smoking: Cigarette smoking puts you at increased risk of cervical cancer.
• HIV infection: Individuals with HIV infection are at greater-than-average risk of cervical cancer.
• Having a compromised immune system: A low immune system makes your body incapable of fighting infection.
• There are a few risk factors you can't prevent or manage. These are:
• DES (diethylstilbestrol): DES is a drug that was administered to individuals between 1938 and 1971 to avoid miscarriage. If your mother had DES, you might be more susceptible to developing cervical cancer.
• Family history: Cervical cancer could have a genetic factor.

What are the complications of cervical cancer?

Treatment and early detection of cervical cancer prevent life-threatening disease complications.

Early complications of cervical cancer are:

• Pain: Cancer is painful when it metastasizes.
• Changes in bladder and bowel: Cervical cancer causes urinary issues such as the inability to urinate. It can also result in constipation.
• Kidney injury: Kidney failure is a complication of severe cervical cancer.
• Blood clots: Your risk of getting blood clots is increased because cancer makes your blood "sticky." This can slow down your blood flow and cause a clot.
• Bleeding: You can get bleeding from your vagina, rectum or bladder if cancer spreads to these organs.
• Fertility or pregnancy problems: Depending on the treatment you receive, you may lose your ability to conceive. Having an operation on your cervix to have cancer cells removed might also raise your risk of miscarriage if you become pregnant again.
• Side effects from cancer treatment: Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other cancer treatments can lead to unwelcome side effects such as sickness and vomiting, tiredness and sexual problems.

How is cervical cancer diagnosed?

Cervical cancer will most often grow slowly over many years. Before becoming cancer, cells in your cervix undergo many changes. The originally normal cells in your cervix begin to look irregular or abnormal. The abnormal cells can resolve independently, remain the same or become cancer cells.

Routine cervical cancer screening with a Pap test can identify the majority of cervical cancer cases. Cervical cancer screening aims to find cell changes on your cervix before they become cancer. A Pap test, or Pap smear, is an examination of cells from your cervix under the microscope. Your cells are checked for abnormal signs of precancers or other abnormal findings.

If your Pap results as abnormal, more testing is needed. This may involve an HPV test, which is a special test that looks for the HPV strains that are most likely to develop cancer in cells of your cervix.

Tests to diagnose cervical cancer

If your tests return abnormal, your doctor will want to do more tests to make sure you have cervical cancer. The initial step in doing that is usually a colposcopy. A colposcope enlarges cells of your cervix so your doctor can examine suspicious cells. If the cells look suspicious or odd, they'll take a sample of cervical cells and send them to a lab for additional testing.

They may use any of the below-mentioned methods to obtain a tissue sample from your cervix:

• Punch biopsy: Your doctor uses a rounded tip blade to remove the precancerous cells.
• Endocervical curettage: This involves your doctor scraping the surface of your cervix with a spoon-shaped instrument called a curette.
• Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP): Your doctor uses an electrical wire loop to remove abnormal cervical tissue.
• Cone biopsy: Your doctor takes a bit larger, cone-shaped tissue sample from your cervix.

If the test results from these tests are positive for cervical cancer, additional tests will help establish whether the disease has spread (metastasized). Tests may include:

• Liver and kidney function tests.
• Blood and urine tests.
• X-rays of your bladder, rectum, bowels and lungs.
• CT scans.
• MRI.

The results of these tests also assist your doctor  in staging the cancer. Cervical cancer is from Stage I (mild) to Stage IV (severe). Staging assists your doctor in deciding on the most appropriate treatment.

How is cervical cancer treated?

Cervical cancer treatment depends on various factors, such as the extent of the disease, your age and overall health, and whether or not you desire children in the future.

The treatments for cervical cancer are radiation, chemotherapy, surgery, targeted therapy and immunotherapy.

Clinical trials are another option. They’re controlled research studies to test new treatments for cancer. Talk to your oncologist if you’d like to participate in a clinical trial.

Some individuals use alternative treatments such as diet, herbs, acupuncture and others to complement their cancer treatment. Discuss alternative approaches which purport to alleviate cancer symptoms with your healthcare provider. Some may be beneficial, but others may be dangerous.

Radiation

Radiation therapy destroys cancer cells on your cervix using beams of energy. There are two types of radiation therapy:

• External beam radiation therapy (EBRT): Directs high-powered radiation at cancer from a machine outside your body.
• Brachytherapy: Places the radiation in or just beside cancer.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy (chemo) involves injecting drugs into the body through veins or orally to destroy cancer cells. The drugs circulate in the bloodstream and are effective at killing cells throughout the body. A number of drugs are used for chemo, and they can be mixed. Chemo is usually administered in cycles. The length of the cycle and the schedule or how often chemotherapy is delivered depend on the drug being used and the location of the cancer in the body.

Surgery

Various types of surgery are employed to treat cervical cancer. Your doctor can simply remove the cancer tissues when the cancer is still in its early stages. Some of the most popular types of surgery for cervical cancer are:

• Laser surgery: This type of surgery employs a laser beam to burn only the cancer cells.
• Cryosurgery: This type of surgery freezes cancer cells, killing them.
• Hysterectomy: This type of surgery entails the removal of your cervix and uterus.
• Trachelectomy: This operation takes out your cervix and the top of your vagina but not your uterus.
• Pelvic exenteration: This is a hysterectomy plus your bladder, vagina, rectum and a portion of your colon, depending on where the cancer has moved.

Some individuals will receive a combination of therapies. Your doctor might use radiation or chemotherapy to cure cancer that has come back (recurred) or spread. Your doctor will sometimes use radiation and chemotherapy after or before surgery.

Targeted therapy

Targeted drug therapy kills off cancer cells specifically without harming normal cells. It functions by attacking proteins that regulate the growth and spread of cancer cells. As more is discovered about cancer cells, scientists can develop more targeted treatments that kill these proteins.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy employs medication to activate the immune system, identifying and killing cancer cells. Cancer cells mimic normal cells to evade the immune system. Immunotherapy assists in targeting these signals so the cancer cells won't be able to fool the body into assuming they're healthy cells.

Can cervical cancer be cured entirely?

Yes. It’s a highly treatable cancer, especially if it’s caught in the early stages. Healthcare providers typically use the term “remission” to describe a cancer that has disappeared. It can still come back.

What’s the outlook for cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is not trivial, but it's very curable, particularly if detected early. In case you do get a diagnosis, it's natural to be concerned about your health or to be upset that you've gotten cancer. You wish that the cancer would just disappear so you can keep on living a long and healthy life. Speak to your doctor and inquire what kind of treatment they would suggest.

Cancer treatment is sometimes hard and uncomfortable. Rely on your loved ones for assistance. Cancer support groups can also be good if you need someone to understand what you're experiencing.

After treatment is completed, your doctor will want to keep a close eye on you to make sure the cancer does not return. Even if you become remissive, you'll probably always have cancer in the back of your mind, anxious that it can recur. This is an appropriate reaction to having cancer. Discussing with you how you feel with a counselor, a close friend or doctor can be helpful.

Can cervical cancer be prevented?

There are a few things you can do to help prevent cervical cancer. Getting regular gynecological exams and Pap tests are the most significant actions you can take toward preventing cervical cancer. Other actions you can take are:

• Get the HPV vaccine (if you're eligible).
• Use condoms or other barrier methods when you engage in sex.
• Keep your number of sexual partners limited.
• Quit smoking and tobacco products.

When do I need to visit my healthcare provider?

You should see a doctor if you have abnormal or suspicious symptoms. Some of the things you should look out for are:

• Bleeding during menstrual cycles or after menopause.
• Watery discharge from the vagina.
• Pelvic discomfort or discomfort during sex.

Call your doctor if you are not sure when your last Pap test was. They can schedule you for regular tests to detect changes to your cervix early.

Why choose Tender Palm Super-Speciality Hospital for Cervical Cancer treatment in Lucknow, India?

Tender Palm Super-Speciality Hospital offers advanced Cervical Cancer treatment in Lucknow, India, at an affordable cost. We have a team of experienced gynecologic oncologists and cancer specialists, known as some of the best doctors for women’s cancer care. We provide accurate diagnosis with advanced screening, imaging, and biopsy tests, personalized treatment including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, and complete supportive care. Our multidisciplinary cancer team has decades of experience in successfully treating Cervical Cancer in Lucknow, India.

To seek an Expert Consultation for Cervical Cancer treatment in Lucknow, India:

Call us at +91-9076972161
Email at care@tenderpalm.com

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