Kacycarr

Cervical Cancer Signs And Risks - Smear Test & Cervical Cancer Screening



Posted: Thursday, March 12, 2009

by Kacycarr
http://www.spotthepimple.com

Cervical cancer has never been more talked about as of late since Jade Goody was diagnosed with the disease and told she was going to die. This is a sad and unfortunate case but so is it for the other women too - who have been told the same. Can you ever even try to imagine what it is like for a woman to be given such news; can you even try to think what is going through her thoughts? If you are from the UK no doubt you will know of Jade Goody`s plight, but maybe not if you come from another part of the world. Distance however makes no difference to cervical cancer symptoms and treatments. Women with cervical cancer in the UK will experience and maybe have to endure the exact same unpleasantries like other women regardless of skin color or origin.

Is cervical cancer a cancer I should worry about? If something can kill you whether it be cancer or not then yes it should worry you.  Let us say you come face to face with a fierce lion, what, do you do, yes you run for your life to protect yourself. It is just the same with cervical cancer, you need to protect yourself from the disease by reducing any risks. Women who choose to ignore having regular cervical cancer examinations run a much higher risk of developing invasive cervical cancer. This is when the cancer begins to spread. It is far easier to treat something at the start than when near to the end. Spread means more which is not good.

Cervical cancer is when cancer cells develop in the lining of a woman's cervix. The cervix is the lower part of womb or uterus. As the cancer develops usual cells begin to deform and change into cancer cells. Flat but scaly surface cells line the cervix which is medically recognized as being a regular spot that invasive cervical cancer develops.

As with most diseases/disorders there is no true cause yet established for cervical cancer happening but there are pointers that indicate particular factors which may increase the risk of it developing. One we look towards is the sexually transmitted disease called human papillomavirus which is strongly connected to invasive cervical cancer.

Others include:

The only sure way to help try and beat cervical cancer is to do your best to stop it before it starts by reducing the risks. It is quite scary but cancer cannot really be prevented. It is a major step in the right direction in helping cancer treatments to work if it is asked to treat the disease in its early stage. Quick action means quick treatment which in return saves lives. Unfortunately in the case of cervical cancer there are no signs to alert you the start of it, so it can go unnoticed. The positive way forward for this is to have yearly routine cervical examinations which will provide proof of precancerous cells developing. Overtime as cancer grows you may see changes in your vaginal discharge (turning yellow and possibly smelly) Other is, vaginal bleeding when not at the time of menstruation, lower back pain, painful sexual intercourse and pain while urinating. If cervical cancer goes untreated it will spread to vital organs. And without vital then expect serious complications..

Invasive cancer of the cervix happens when abnormally dividing cells, which begin in the outer layer (epithelium,) enters deeper into tissue layers. The outcome of this is a group (or tumor) attacking cells which continue to divide, and increase, attacking close by tissue. Cells may break off from the main tumor and spread through the lymphatic or blood vessels to further locations. The size and degree of cancerous tissue growth will establish the stage of how far gone the cancer has progressed. Precise staging of cervical cancer is essential in deciding appropriate treatment. Cervical cancer comes in two sorts; one which comes about from the squamous epithelium (squamous carcinoma.) which covers the outer cervix, and glandular cancers (adenocarcinoma) happening from the gland bearing epithelium of the cervical canal. Squamous cancers is the sort that the cervical screening programme is purposely designed to find or prevent.

You are not to worry at this stage if you have an unusual vaginal discharge, although mentioned as being a possibility of a sign of cervical cancer; it is however more commonly connected to vaginal infections.

Cervical cancer is diagnosed by examination of a sample of the tumor (a biopsy) by a histopatholgist. As you go deeper into what this type of cancer is all about you will come across medical terms that may frighten you, or that you do not fully understand. You must not leave the doctors surgery none the wiser, ask your GP to clarify any confusion or to help you overcome any fears you have.

The cervical cancer screening service in Britain is one of the most effective in the world. Women aged between 20 - 64 are asked to have a cervical smear test at three to five year intervals. The percentage of the eligible population being screened has risen from 45% in 1988-89 to 83.7% in 1999-2000. The program is free of charge which makes it hard to understand why women ignore having it done.

Nothing is ever really 100% accurate and this applies to the screening program also, however it is estimated that this health service has prevented between 1,100 and 3,900 cases of cervical cancer annually. That is a major number in women`s lives being saved. Early detection of cervical cancer will delay invasive ever beginning. Negative smears are normally redone every 3 to 5 years, unless there has been a recent abnormality. Positive smears are referred for colposcopy. A colposcopy includes visualization of the cervix using a colposcope. During the colposcopy the woman is positioned on an examination chair and a speculum is inserted to visualize the cervix. The colposcope is positioned to enable the examiner to view the cervix. Acetic acid is applied to the cervix and the abnormal cells will show up white. A biopsy may be performed for stronger proof of findings which would confirm the pre-cancerous disease.

You need to act now because with cervical cancer there is no time for procrastination.

Breast awareness can save your life…breast cancer
This Article has been viewed 988 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.