Cervical cancer (cervix): symptoms, causes & treatment

Definition of cervical cancer

What is cervical cancer (cervical cancer)?

The definition of cervical cancer is cancer that occurs when there are cells in the cervix that are not normal, and it continues to grow out of control. The cervix, aka the cervix, is a tube-like organ. Its function is to connect the vagina with the uterus.

These abnormal cells can develop rapidly, resulting in tumors in the cervix. Malignant tumors later develop into cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women worldwide. However, the pap smear test as a routine diagnostic test can help detect cervical cancer early.

These cancers are often curable if found early. In addition, there are several methods to control the risk of cervical cancer, which decreases the number of cases of this cancer.

Types of cervical cancer

There are two types of cancer of the cervix that women may experience, including:

• Squamous cell carcinoma, is a type of cancer that starts in the outer wall of the cervix and leads to the vagina. This is the most common type of cancer in the cervix.
• Adenocarcinoma, namely cancer that starts in glandular cells, found in the walls of the cervical canal.

How common is this type of cancer?

Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that is very common throughout the world. According to the records of the World Health Organization or WHO, cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in women.

Furthermore, WHO also observed that the incidence of cervical cancer is greater in developing countries than in developed countries.

In Indonesia, the Ministry of Health even noted that this cancer is ranked second for the most common types of cancer after breast cancer. Every year, there are about 40,000 new cases of cervical cancer detected in Indonesian women.

This condition can occur in patients of any age. However, as you get older, a person's risk of developing cervical cancer is getting bigger.

Cervical cancer can be treated by reducing risk factors. Talk to your doctor for more information.

Signs & symptoms of cervical cancer

In the early stages, women with early-stage cervical cancer and pre-cancer will have no symptoms. The reason is, cervical cancer does not show early symptoms until a tumor is formed.

The tumor can then push the surrounding organs and disrupt healthy cells. Symptoms of cervical cancer can be characterized by the following characteristics.

• Unusual bleeding from the vagina, such as bleeding without menstruation, longer periods, bleeding after or during sex, after menopause, after bowel movements, or after a pelvic exam.
• The menstrual cycle becomes irregular.
• Pain in the pelvis (in the lower abdomen).
• Pain during sex.
• Pain in the back (lower back) or legs.
• The body is weak and tired easily.
• Losing weight even though you are not on a diet.
• Loss of appetite.
• Abnormal vaginal discharge, such as strong odor or accompanied by blood.

There are several other conditions, such as infection, that can cause various characteristics of cervical cancer. However, regardless of the cause, you still have to visit a doctor to have it checked.

Ignoring the possible symptoms of cervical cancer will only make the condition worse and miss the chance for effective treatment.

Better yet, don't wait for cervical cancer symptoms to appear. The best way to take care of the health of your reproductive organs is to do regular pap smear tests and pelvic examinations to a gynecologist.

There may be signs and symptoms of cervical cancer not listed above. If you have concerns about a particular symptom, consult your doctor.

When to see a doctor?

If you show some of the signs or symptoms of cervical cancer above or other questions, consult your doctor. Everyone's body is different.

Symptoms in one person may not necessarily be the same as for another. Always consult a doctor to treat your health condition and get checked out for any signs of cervical cancer.

However, actually all women (especially those who are married or sexually active) should see a doctor to get checked out and get the HPV vaccine. There is no need to wait until the characteristics of this cancer appear before seeking medical help.

Women who are over 40 years old are also strongly advised to see a doctor and have regular pap smear tests. The reason is, as you get older, you are more susceptible to one of the cancers of the cervix. Meanwhile, you may not feel the various symptoms that have started to attack.

Causes of cervical cancer

Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by Human papillomavirus or abbreviated as HPV. There are more than a hundred types of HPV, but so far there are only about 13 types of HPV that can cause this cancer. This virus is often transmitted through sexual contact.

In a woman's body, the virus that causes cervical cancer produces two types of protein, namely E6 and E7.

Both of these proteins are dangerous because they can deactivate certain genes in a woman's body that play a role in stopping tumor development.

These two proteins also stimulate the aggressive growth of uterine wall cells. This abnormal cell growth eventually causes gene changes (also known as gene mutations). This gene mutation then causes cervical cancer to develop in the body.

Viruses that cause cervical cancer most

Some types of HPV cause no symptoms at all. However, some other types of HPV infection can cause genital warts, and some can cause this cancer. Only a doctor can diagnose and determine how dangerous the type of HPV you are experiencing.

Two strains of the HPV virus (HPV 16 and HPV 18) are known to play a role in 70% of cervical cancer cases. This type of HPV infection doesn't cause any symptoms, so many women don't realize they have the infection.

In fact, most adult women actually "host" HPV at some point in their lives.

HPV can be found through a pap smear test. This is why the pap smear test is so important to prevent cervical cancer.

The pap smear test is able to detect differences in cervical cells before they turn into cancer. If you treat these cell changes, you can protect yourself from this cancer.

Risk factors for cervical cancer

So far, HPV is known to be the main cause of cervical cancer. However, there are several risk factors that can increase your chances of developing this cancer, even if you don't even have a history of HPV infection.

Check out the various risk factors for cervical cancer below:

• Increasing age

Women under the age of fifteen have the lowest risk of this cancer. Meanwhile, the risk increases in women over 40 years of age.

• Heredity

If in your family, for example, your grandmother, mother, or female cousin who has had cervical cancer, you are two to times more prone to developing this cancer than people without cancer heredity.

The problem is, the gene mutation that causes cancer can be passed on to the next generation.

• Sexual activity with multiple partners

Having sex with multiple partners can increase your risk of getting HPV 16 and 18. Likewise, risky sexual behavior, such as unprotected sex or sharing sex toys (sex toys) the same as everyone else.

In addition, having sexual intercourse at an early age can also increase the risk of contracting HPV. Women who have never received the HPV vaccine (immunization) are also more susceptible to infection with HPV, which can be the cause of this cancer.

• Smoking habit

Tobacco contains many chemicals that are not good for the body. Women who smoke have up to two times the risk of non-smoking women developing cervical cancer.

• Lack of consumption of fruits and vegetables

Women who have less healthy diets, for example, rarely eat fruits and vegetables, may have a higher risk of this cancer.

• Being overweight or obese

Women who are overweight are easier to have adenocarcinoma on the cervix.

• Long-term use of oral contraceptives

A number of studies have shown that taking oral contraceptives (birth control pills) for a long time, that is, more than about five years, can increase the risk of this cancer.

If you have been taking birth control pills to prevent pregnancy for a long time, immediately consider choosing another contraceptive and talk to your obstetrician.

• Have been pregnant several times and given birth

Women who have had three or more pregnancies (not miscarriages) have a higher risk of developing cervical cancer.

• Get pregnant or give birth at a very young age

Very young means being under 17 years of age at the time of pregnancy until the first delivery. Women who are younger than 17 years of age at the time of their first pregnancy (not miscarriage) are twice as likely to develop cervical cancer.

• Chlamydia infection

Several studies have shown a higher risk of cervical cancer in women whose blood tests show that they have or are currently having an infection with one of the sexually transmitted diseases, namely chlamydia.

• Medications that reduce the immune system or immunosuppression

Medications or conditions that affect the immune system, eg human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS, can increase the risk of getting HPV infection and cause cervical cancer.

• Diethylstilbestrol (DES) medicinal uses

DES is a hormonal drug that is given to women to prevent miscarriage. Mothers who use this medicine during pregnancy have a greater risk of cervical cancer.

Girls who are born are also at greater risk. This drug has not been prescribed for pregnant women since the 1980s.

However, those of you who have been pregnant or born before 1980 are still at risk of developing cancer.

• Difficulty in accessing adequate health

Even though a person's economic condition does not necessarily cause cervical cancer, this is very likely to hinder women's access to adequate health education and services, including pap smear testing.

In addition to some of the risk factors that have been mentioned, there are several myths that are thought to increase the risk of cervical cancer. For example, often eating ice cream during menstruation, giving birth too often, and many other myths.

These myths are certainly not true, because they are not medically based. Therefore, always make sure back all the information you get about risk factors or causes of cervical cancer.

You can consult a doctor about this. That way, you don't have to worry too much about unnecessary things.

Cervical cancer drugs & diagnosis

The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.

Doctors usually use a pap smear test or IVA examination to diagnose cervical cancer. Doctors may order other tests to see cancerous or pre-cancerous cells on the cervix if the pap smear test shows malfunctioning cell changes, such as a cervical biopsy.

Your doctor may refer you to a gynecologist (an obstetrician, which is a specialist in the health of the female reproductive system) if the test results show abnormalities, or if the doctor sees growths in the cervix or if you have abnormal bleeding.

Tests to detect cervical cancer (cervical cancer)

There are several tests that may be needed to detect cervical cancer, including:

• Colposcopy

The colposcopy procedure is performed under a small microscope with a light source at the end used to examine your cervix.

• Cone biopsy

This small procedure is performed under anesthesia. A small, cone-shaped section of the cervix will be removed for examination. After that, you may experience vaginal bleeding for up to four weeks after the procedure.

Tests to detect the stage of cervical cancer

If the doctor believes you have symptoms of cervical cancer, the doctor will then check how severe the condition or stage of cervical cancer is. The test could include the following.

• Check the uterus, vagina, rectum, and urine for cancer. This procedure is performed under anesthesia.
• Blood tests to check the condition around organs, such as bones, blood and kidneys.
• Test imaging (scanning), namely with the technology of Computerized tomography (CT) scans, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, X rays, and Positive emission tomography (PET) scans. The purpose of this test is to identify cancer tumors and if the cancer cells have spread (metastasized).

What cervical cancer drugs are often used?

The sooner you detect the symptoms of cervical cancer and its disease, the higher the chances of treating this disease.

How to treat cervical cancer is quite complicated. However, the hospital will prepare a team of experts who are determined to deal with the early and advanced stages of cervical cancer.

Although it is ideal to treat cervical cancer in its early stages, it is usually not diagnosed early enough. Generally, there are three main treatment options for cervical cancer, namely surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

1. Operation

This action will remove the infected part of the cancer. You and the medical team must work together for the best results.

Radical trachelectomy

This procedure removes the cervix, the surrounding tissue and the top of the vagina are removed, but the uterus remains in place. So, there is still a chance that you can still have children.

That is why, this surgery is often a priority for women who have early stage cervical cancer and still want to have children.

Total hysterectomy

A hysterectomy is a procedure that involves removing the cervix and uterus, depending on the stage of the cancer. It may also be necessary to remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes. You can no longer have children if you have a total hysterectomy.

Major surgery that removes the cervix, vagina, uterus, urine, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and rectum. Like a hysterectomy, you cannot have any more children after having this surgery.

2. Radiotherapy

In the early stages of cervical cancer, you can be treated with radiotherapy or in combination with surgery. If the cancer is already at an advanced stage, the doctor can recommend radiotherapy with chemotherapy to reduce bleeding and pain in the patient.

3. Chemotherapy

Cervical cancer chemotherapy can be done as a single treatment or in combination with radiotherapy.

In advanced cancer, this method is often used to prevent cancer growth. You will make an appointment to get an intravenous dose of chemotherapy.

You may experience premature menopause, vaginal narrowing, or lymphedema after treatment for cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer complications

Complications experienced by cervical cancer sufferers can occur due to treatment or caused by cancer that is already at a quite severe stage.

Some of the complications of cervical cancer that occur as side effects of treatment are as follows.

• Early menopause.
• Lymph disorders characterized by swelling of the hands or feet.
• Emotional impact.

Meanwhile, complications that occur due to cervical cancer that are experienced are already at a quite severe stage, namely:

• Kidney failure.
• Blood clotting.
• Bleeding.
• Fistula, which is the formation of abnormal channels that connect organs in the body.

Prevention of cervical cancer

What can be done to prevent cervical cancer (cervical cancer)?

Here are lifestyle changes that can help you prevent cervical cancer from happening to you.

• The pap smear test is the best way to find changes in cervical cells or HPV in the cervix.
• If you are under 26 years of age, make sure you get the HPV vaccine.
• Avoid getting infected with HPV by practicing safe sex.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle, including a good diet by eating foods that can prevent cervical cancer and regular exercise.

If you have further questions, consult your doctor for the best solution to your problem.