Cervical Cancer Research Paper

Cervical cancer has many different treatments, causes, and morality rates depending upon the victim. Cervical cancer occurs when abnormal cells on the cervix grow out of control. Cervical cancer, like many other cancers go through stages. Stage Zero or CIS, means that there is cancerous cells in the cervix area. The cancerous cells are only in the cervix, and have not spread or grown in the deep part of the cervix. The cancerous cells have not left the area where they started to grow. In stage one, the cancer remains only in the cervix, and not anywhere else in the body. In stage two, the cancer cells have spread throughout the cervix and into the deeper and surrounding tissues, such as the uterus. In stage three, the cancer has spread not only in the cervix and the surrounding tissues, but now it has spread into the pelvis. In stage four, the cancer has become more advanced than the other stages. During the fourth stage, the cancer has spread into many other organs around the cervix (Bedford, 80). Cervical cancer goes through these stages once it has been identified. These examinations are recommended for the clinical staging: palpation, inspection, endocervical curettage (pap), hysteroscopy, cytoscopy, procoscopy, intravenous urography, and x-ray examinations of the lung and skeleton.

There are different symptoms and treatments for cervical cancer. Symptoms of this particular cancer are bleeding from the vagina that is not normal. Most women with cervical cancer have a change in their menstrual cycle that they can't explain. Some bleed when something comes in contact with their cervix. Other women have a vaginal discharge that has blood with it and a smelly odor or pain during sex.

Some women have surgery, while others take chemotherapy or radiation therapy, or a combination of these treatments (Bedford, 82-83). Treatments are determined by the person's body and age, and stage in which they are in. A hysterectomy or biopsy can be done to remove the cancer cells. These two types of surgeries can only take place during the early stages of cervical cancer, unless the doctor believes that there are still cancer cells throughout the body. If that is the case, then the doctor will use the radiation therapy method.

Other than a hysterectomy or biopsy, women with cervical cancer can also receive a cone biopsy, laser surgery, loop electrosurgical excision procedure, or cryosurgery. During a cone biopsy, the doctor simply removes a cone-shaped part of the cervix. Laser surgery is when the doctor uses and intense light that destroys precancerous and cancerous cells. Loop electrosurgical excision procedure, also known as LEEP, is a procedure using a wire loop, which has a electric current cut through tissues, removing cells from the cervix. A doctor may use cryosurgery to freeze the precancerous cells. There are three types of hysterectomies, a radical hysterectomy, total hysterectomy, and a vaginal hysterectomy. A radical hysterectomy removes the cervix, the uterus, and part of the vagina, while a total hysterectomy only removes the cervix and the uterus. The vaginal hysterectomy removes the uterus and the cervix through the vagina (Bedford, 83).

If the cancer is left untreated for too long, the person will have to undergo radiation therapy. Cervical cancer that is diagnosed today will have to have radiation therapy and or chemotherapy, due to the fact that the cancer has spread too far for surgery. Radiation therapy uses high beamed energy x-rays to destroy cancer cells. It also damages the DNA inside the tumor cells, which causes them not to reproduce. Women with cervical cancer can have an internal radiation therapy or an external radiation therapy. Chemotherapy is used to seek out cancer cells that surgery cannot or maybe did not remove.

Sometimes, women can undergo a surgery called trachelectomy. This particular surgery can take place if the women still wants to have children, or if the woman is still in the early stages of cervical cancer, the doctor will remove all the cancer cells, and leave an opening of the cervix, so that the menstrual cam flow. If a woman is pregnant, the doctor will stitch the cervix closed and the stitches will support the unborn child until the mother can have a caesarean section. If the doctor notices that some of the cancer is still there, then the women will have to have a hysterectomy. Chemotherapy destroys the cancer cells while radiotherapy is used to treat the early stages of cervical cancer.

Women who are sexually active too early, smoke or has a significant exposure to passive smoke, have low-term menstrual stress, have genital herpes, give birth at a young age, have had several pregnancies (three or more), have alcohol consumption at the time of take part in vaginal intercourse and take birth control pills are at high risk of cervical cancer. Prevention is the best treatment of cervical cancer. The preventions of cervical cancer depend on screening vaccination and education. Women should get a yearly pap smear to detect cervical screening once every five years, in between the ages of 25-64 years old. Getting a yearly pap smear does not detect the HPV infection. The invention of pap smears has saved more than 8,000 lives. A vaccine against HPV can prevent over 450,000 new cases of cervical cancer a year. If a woman who has cervical cancer does not get a screening