About such a disease as cervical cancer,Probably, everyone has heard about it. Unfortunately, this disease is one of the most common oncological pathologies in women. In order to protect themselves as much as possible, women should have as much information as possible about a disease such as cervical cancer. It is necessary to know all the features - the causes that provoke the development of the disease, all the symptoms and signs that indicate its presence, all the principles and methods of diagnosis and treatment. As mentioned above, cervical cancer is a disease of the female reproductive system, characterized by the development of a malignant tumor on the cervix. Let us remind you that the cervix is ​​located between the body of the uterus and the vagina. In almost all cases, the development of cervical cancer occurs as a result of a person being infected with the human papillomavirus. The main symptoms of this pathology are pain and uterine bleeding, and in some cases there are no symptoms at all. In such cases, the disease is diagnosed absolutely by chance, during a routine preventive examination of a woman by a gynecologist. More details about the signs of cervical cancer and diagnostic methods will be written below.

Causes of cervical cancer and their types

Modern science has reliably proven that cancercervical cancer occurs due to the presence of the human papillomavirus in a woman's body. Of course, this does not mean that absolutely any woman who gets HPV should face cervical cancer. As a rule, the development of oncological diseases is caused by the presence of the human papillomavirus types 16, 18 and 31. By the way, it was this act that formed the basis of the theory that cervical cancer can be transmitted sexually. The fact is that during unprotected sexual intercourse, the human papillomavirus can be transmitted, including the type that can lead to the development of cervical cancer. That is why those women who lead an active sex life with frequent changes of sexual partners have a much higher chance than others. Doctors - gynecologists and oncologists today know two types of cervical cancer. In most cases - about 80% - cancerous malignancy develops from the squamous epithelial cells lining the cervix. In the remaining 20% ​​of all cervical cancer cases, the malignancy develops from the cells responsible for producing cervical mucus. This is called cervical adenocarcinoma.

How does this pathology of the cervix develop?

Cervical cancer has one characteristic feature -for its development, previous diseases of the cervix are necessary; a woman with a healthy cervix will never develop a malignant neoplasm. By the way, the best means of preventing the development of cervical cancer today is the prevention of various gynecological diseases. There are several diseases of the cervix that most often lead to the development of a malignant neoplasm:

• Cervical erosion.This disease is one of the most common diseases of the cervix. Fortunately, this pathology rarely leads to the development of cervical cancer. However, if erosion is not treated, a certain risk still exists.
• Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.In short, this disease is called CIN by doctors. Doctors use this term to describe a woman's condition in which there are abnormal cells in the cervix that begin to divide uncontrollably, resulting in a very high risk that they will transform into a malignant tumor over time.

Doctors distinguish three stages of this pathology.The first two stages are very treatable - that is why it is so important to seek help from a gynecologist in time. If time is lost, the disease will enter the third stage, which in essence is nothing more than the initial stage of cervical cancer. After the three stages of the precancerous condition are passed, the malignant tumor will begin to grow deeper into the cervix, gradually affecting more and more of its areas. If the malignant formation of the cervix is ​​not diagnosed in time, the neoplasm will constantly grow, growing into neighboring organs - most often into the rectum and bladder. But this is not all the dangers - cancer cells have the ability to penetrate the blood, and with its flow spread throughout the body. Thus, metastases can appear in almost any organ, depending on what place the cancer cells choose. Of course, this entire process does not take a week or a month - as a rule, it takes several years, although, of course, sometimes there are exceptions. But even in these cases, at least six months pass from the initial stage to the development of cervical cancer. That is why the best way to protect your health is regular preventive examinations by a doctor - a gynecologist. This measure will help to detect this pathology at the earliest stages of its development, which means that the chances of a woman's complete recovery will be very, very high. After all, it is early diagnosis and timely treatment that are the doctor's true allies in the fight against malignant neoplasms.

Symptoms of cervical pathology

Often malignant neoplasms of the cervixuterus proceeds without any external manifestations and symptoms of the disease for a very long time. At this stage, it is possible to detect a malignant neoplasm by chance, during a preventive examination or if a woman consults a gynecologist for some other reason. However, if the disease remains undiagnosed for a long time, the malignant tumor continues to increase in size and, accordingly, already significantly disrupts the normal functioning of the reproductive system and the woman's body as a whole. And the woman develops the following cervical cancer symptoms have the following:

• Bloody discharge from the genital organs

One of the very first symptoms thata woman's body has a malignant neoplasm of the cervix - this is the appearance of bloody discharge from the vagina. And please note - we are not talking about uterine discharge, but about the so-called contact discharge. Blood is released after sexual intercourse, due to injury to the cervix, the tissues of which are affected by a malignant tumor and are very sensitive to the slightest touch. However, in some extremely rare cases, bleeding from the female genitals can begin suddenly, without any external influences. However, even in this case, they are almost never excessively profuse.

• Specific vaginal discharge

In addition to bloody discharge in cervical canceruterus may have very specific discharges that have a transparent yellowish color. The main part of this secreted fluid is leukocytes, which are produced by the woman's body to fight malignant cells. In fairness, it should be noted that a woman is unlikely to be able to distinguish them from normal vaginal discharge, but for a gynecologist, recognizing them will not be difficult.

• Painful sensations

In some cases, women who havemalignant neoplasm on the cervix, pain in the sacrum and spine, in the lower abdomen is noted. In addition, very strong pain during sexual intercourse is noted by almost all sick women. However, the pain syndrome itself cannot serve as one of the main symptoms of cervical cancer, since it accompanies a huge number of other diseases, sometimes not even related to the gynecological profile.

• Edema of external genital organs and extremities

If the disease continuesprogress, often a woman complains to the doctor about regular swelling of the lower extremities and external genitalia. These swellings occur because malignant tumors form metastases that settle in the pelvic lymph nodes and large blood vessels, and block the large blood vessels of the lower extremities.

• Fistula formation

As the disease progresses, it is oftenfistulas are formed - openings between the bladder, vagina and rectum, communicating with each other. This pathology significantly worsens the functioning of all pelvic organs.

• Delay in normal outflow of urine

In the event that metastases of malignanttumors compress the ureters and large lymph nodes can partially or completely disable the kidneys, resulting in hydronephrosis. Due to this pathology, in the absence of emergency medical care, general poisoning of the body with waste products that are not excreted from the body of a sick woman very quickly develops.

• Purulent infections of the urinary tract

In addition to urinary retention, the above-describedcomplications lead to the fact that the sick woman develops a severe bacterial infection of the urinary tract. The patient's blood contains an admixture of blood and pus. Considering the fact that at this stage of the disease the woman's immune system is practically suppressed, in the absence of immediate medical care the risk of death of the woman is very high.

• Edema of one limb

In some cases, swelling of the lower abdomen occurs.limbs on one side. It occurs in the last stages of the disease, due to the presence of metastases in the lymph nodes of the small pelvis, which compress large blood vessels.

Diagnosis of cervical cancer

As has been said above many times, more oftenIn most cases, cervical cancer is diagnosed either during a routine examination or if a woman seeks help from a gynecologist complaining of the symptoms described above. To diagnose cervical cancer, doctors use the following diagnostic methods:

• Gynecological examination using mirrors

As a rule, the doctor first pays attention toa change in the condition of the uterine mucosa, which is typical for cancer, during examination of the cervix using speculums. In fact, this diagnostic method is the simplest and most painless, and it is also absolutely accessible to every doctor, even if his office is not equipped with additional equipment.

• Pap test

Another name this method has isdiagnostics is a pap test. It consists of examining smears taken from two areas under a microscope - from the cervical canal and the mucous membrane of the cervix. This test is very popular due to its informativeness - it allows you to identify not only the presence or absence of cancer cells in the cervix, but even a precancerous condition - cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, which was already discussed above. This test belongs to the group of screening tests, and therefore it should be performed on all women without exception, regardless of what caused the visit to the doctor - gynecologist. Therefore, in no case should you refuse to carry it out if the doctor offers you this. The woman does not feel any painful or even just unpleasant sensations when taking smears.

• Colposcopy

If the doctor has anydoubts, he will most likely conduct an additional examination of the mucous membranes of the cervix and vagina using a special optical device - a colposcope. This type of examination is called colposcopy. During this examination, the doctor will carefully examine the condition of the mucous membrane of the cervix, paying special attention to those areas that seem most suspicious to him.

• Cervical biopsy

The last, final stage of cancer diagnosiscervix - this is a biopsy. The essence of this study is to take a small amount of tissue from the cervix, which is then carefully examined under a microscope. This study is carried out on all women without exception, in whom the doctor suspects the presence of cervical cancer.

• Intravenous urography

Intravenous urography is prescribed to women,who suffer from cervical cancer, in order to determine the full functioning of the urinary system, and primarily the kidneys. As a malignant tumor of the cervix grows, it often significantly compresses the ureters. As a result of this compression, kidney function may be impaired.

• Rectoscopy and cystoscopy

These types of examination of the rectum and bladder are necessary to further examine the condition of the rectum and bladder, which are most often affected by metastases.

Stages of development of cervical cancer

So, in the process of primary diagnosis the doctordetermined that the woman has a malignant tumor of the cervix. After this, in order to select the optimal treatment regimen, the doctor must accurately determine the stage of development of cervical cancer. This will require a number of additional studies, such as an X-ray of the chest, an ultrasound examination of the organs located in the abdominal cavity and the pelvic cavity. In some cases, a CT scan may be necessary. Doctors classify maternal cervical cancer according to the degree of development of the disease in several stages:

The first stage of the disease.At the first stage of cervical cancer, the malignant neoplasm is localized exclusively within the woman's cervix. Treatment initiated at this stage of the disease is the most effective. It allows for a five-year survival rate of approximately 90% of all female patients.

The second stage of the disease.In the second stage of cervical cancer, the malignant neoplasm is larger than in the first stage, but it has not yet reached the walls of the small pelvis. At this stage of the disease, treatment is also quite effective, but, of course, the chances of a five-year survival threshold are slightly lower - approximately 60% of all women who fall ill.

The third stage of the disease.This stage of cancer is characterized by the presence of a malignant tumor that affects not only the cervix itself, but also the lower third of the vagina. At this stage of the disease, five-year survival is only 35% of all women.

The fourth stage of the disease.This stage of cervical cancer is the last and most severe. At this stage of the disease, the malignant area leaves the pelvis, affecting the rectum or bladder. In addition, at this stage of the disease, metastases are often found, affecting other organs of the body located at a significant distance from the immediate focus - the cervix. Unfortunately, if treatment of the disease begins only at this stage, the five-year survival rate is minimal - no more than 10% of all women.

The concept has been mentioned several times above,as "five-year survival". This term is used by oncologists. It denotes the prognosis of treatment of a malignant tumor. This prognosis is based on one reliably established fact: if during five years after the end of treatment the patient has no relapses, he has every chance of never again encountering a recurrence of this cancerous disease. After this period, the patient is considered to be completely recovered.

Methods of cervical cancer treatment

Methods and techniques for treating cancerof the cervix depends on several main factors. Firstly, a lot depends on the individual condition of the body and the health characteristics of each specific sick woman. The patient should be prepared for the fact that visiting only an oncologist is unlikely to be enough. Along with a gynecological examination, the sick woman will have to undergo a number of examinations and tests that will give doctors a complete and most accurate picture of the general state of health, the presence and degree of damage to other internal organs. Without a complete picture, choose the appropriate and effective treatment, which will also be the most gentle for the rest of the organs. And, secondly, a lot when determining the method of treatment depends on the stage of development of the malignant tumor. In the first two stages of cervical cancer, doctors most often limit themselves to complete removal of both the body of the uterus itself, and its appendages, and the cervix. Often this measure is enough to completely eliminate the disease. However, I would like to remind you once again that this treatment is effective only in the first two stages. In the same case, if the malignant tumor is larger and the disease is in the third or fourth stage, in addition to the complete removal of the cervix, body and appendages of the uterus, oncologists conduct chemotherapy, which is designed to suppress the growth and activity of cancer cells. It probably does not make sense to talk in detail about how chemotherapy is performed, as well as the principles of its effect on the body. Doctors study this at the institute for six years, so it is unlikely that this problem will be covered within the framework of this article. The main thing that a woman should remember is that the earlier cervical cancer is detected, the higher the woman's chances of survival and a full life.

Prevention of cervical cancer

Of course, gynecologists very oftenhear a woman's question about whether it is possible to prevent the development of cervical cancer. And this is a completely reasonable question, because it is much easier to prevent the disease or cure it at the earliest stages of development than to fight an advanced form of malignant tumor. Doctors name three main methods of preventing the development of cervical cancer:

• Regular visits to the doctor - gynecologist.A woman of reproductive age should undergo preventive gynecological examinations twice a year. And once a year, a Pap test must be performed without fail. Such preventive measures will help to detect at the early stages of the disease not only a cancerous tumor of the cervix, but also a fairly large number of other diseases of the female reproductive system, of which, unfortunately, there are quite a large number.
• Protection against unwanted pregnancy.As numerous observations of gynecologists and oncologists show, among those women who have encountered cervical cancer, two out of three women have had two or more artificial terminations of pregnancy in their medical history. That is why it is so important to use reliable protection to prevent an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy. And remember that each subsequent abortion increases the risk of developing a malignant tumor of the cervix by approximately 8%.
• Vaccination against human papillomavirus infection.As already mentioned, one of the most common factors that provoke the development of cervical cancer is the papilloma virus. Today, gynecologists recommend that all girls, young women and young women be vaccinated against it. This vaccination will reduce the risk of complications by about 8 times.

We hope that after reading this article, youreceived basic knowledge about the symptoms of cervical cancer, the basic principles of treating this pathology, and how to reduce the risk of developing this pathology. After all, caring for your health is primarily the woman's responsibility. And doctors are only assistants and allies in the fight for a woman's health and life. We recommend reading:

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