The cervix is the lower, cylinder-shaped part of the uterus that con­nects to the vagina. It is often called the “neck” of the uterus. It has an outer sur­face that opens into the vagina and an inner sur­face that faces into the uterus. The inner part is called the cer­vi­cal canal.

WHAT ARE THE FUNCTIONS OF THE CERVIX?

These include:

• Pro­duc­ing mois­ture to lubri­cate the vagina
• Pro­duc­ing mucus that helps sperms travel up to the Fal­lop­ian tube to fer­til­ize an egg from the ovary
• Hold­ing a devel­op­ing baby in the uterus dur­ing pregnancy.
• Widen­ing so the baby can be born via the birth canal (vagina).

The cervix is cov­ered by two kinds of cells (Squa­mous cells and Glan­du­lar cells), which line the sur­faces of many organs and body systems:

WHAT IS CERVICAL CANCER?

Cer­vi­cal can­cer is the third most com­mon type of can­cer in women. It is a dis­ease in which cells in the body grow out of con­trol. Can­cer is always named after the part of the body where it starts, even if it spreads to other body parts later. So when can­cer starts in the cervix, it is called cer­vi­cal cancer.

WHO IS MOST AT RISK?

All women are at risk of get­ting cer­vi­cal can­cer. It occurs most often in women over age 30.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF CERVICAL CANCER?

• Cer­vi­cal can­cers start in the cells on the sur­face of the cervix.
• Almost all cer­vi­cal can­cers are caused by HPV (human papil­loma virus). HPV is a com­mon virus that is spread through sex­ual intercourse.

Risk fac­tors for cer­vi­cal can­cer include:

• Not get­ting the HPV vaccine
• Weak­ened immune system
• Smok­ing
• Using birth con­trol pills for a long time
• Giv­ing birth to many children
• Hav­ing taken diethyl­stilbe­strol (DES) or being the daugh­ter of a mother who took DES [a form of estro­gen that was used between 1940 and 1971 to treat women with cer­tain prob­lems dur­ing preg­nancy, such as miscarriages]

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CERVICAL CANCER?

• Cer­vi­cal can­cer symp­toms often go unno­ticed because they mimic so many other ail­ments such as PMS or ovu­la­tion pains. Many times, how­ever, cer­vi­cal can­cer has no symp­toms. Those that may occur include:
• Cer­vi­cal can­cer may spread to the blad­der, intestines, lungs, and liver. Patients with cer­vi­cal can­cer do not usu­ally have prob­lems until the can­cer is advanced and has spread. Symp­toms of advanced cer­vi­cal can­cer may include:

• Abnor­mal vagi­nal bleed­ing between peri­ods, after inter­course, or after menopause
• Con­tin­u­ous vagi­nal dis­charge, which may be pale, watery, pink, brown, bloody, or foul-smelling
• Peri­ods become heav­ier and last longer than usual

• Back pain
• Bone pain or fractures
• Fatigue
• Leak­ing of urine or feces from the vagina
• Leg pain
• Loss of appetite
• Pelvic pain
• Sin­gle swollen leg
• Weight loss

TESTS AND EXAMS

To spot cer­vi­cal can­cer conditions:

• Pap smears; Col­poscopy and Cone biopsy are usu­ally done.

If the woman is diag­nosed with cer­vi­cal can­cer, tests will include:

Chest x-ray; CT scan of the pelvis; Cys­toscopy; Intra­venous pyel­o­gram (IVP) or an MRI of the pelvis

HOW IS CERVAL CANCER TREATED?

Treat­ment of cer­vi­cal can­cer depends on:

• The stage of the cancer
• The size and shape of the tumor
• The woman’s age and gen­eral health
• Her desire to have chil­dren in the future

Types of surgery for early cer­vi­cal can­cer include:

• Loop elec­tro­sur­gi­cal exci­sion pro­ce­dure (LEEP) — uses elec­tric­ity to remove abnor­mal tissue
• Cryother­apy — freezes abnor­mal cells
• Laser ther­apy — uses light to burn abnor­mal tissue

*A hys­terec­tomy (removal of the uterus but not the ovaries) is not often per­formed for cer­vi­cal can­cer that has not spread. It may be done in women who have repeated LEEP procedures.

Treat­ment for more advanced cer­vi­cal can­cer may include:

Treat­ment may include surgery, radi­a­tion ther­apy, chemother­apy, or a com­bi­na­tion. The choice of treat­ment depends on the size of the tumor, whether the can­cer has spread and whether the woman would like to become preg­nant someday.

PREVENTION OF CERVICAL CANCER

• Prac­tic­ing safe sex (AB rule – Abstain; Be faithful)
• Get reg­u­lar Pap smears [Annual pelvic exam­i­na­tions, includ­ing a pap smear, should start when a woman becomes sex­u­ally active, or by the age of 20 in a non­sex­ual active woman].
• If you smoke quit.