If caught and treated early, cervical cancer is not life threatening. This is why it is so important that you get regular Pap tests.
In many cases, cervical cancer can be prevented. The best ways to do this are to avoid getting HPV and to get regular Pap tests. An HPV vaccine can protect young people against the virus. The vaccine is FDA-approved for all boys and girls between 9 years and 26 years of age. It is most effective when you get it before you have been exposed to HPV. All women should get regular Pap tests. These can detect abnormal cells before they turn into cancer. Certain things put you at higher or lower risk for cervical cancer.
Your doctor will consider these when recommending how often you should have a Pap test. Most women can follow these guidelines:. In many cases, precancerous cells are found before cancer develops. Treatment for these is different than for invasive cancer cells.
Treatment will depend on several factors. These include severity, age, general health, desire to get pregnant in the future, and preference. Options include cryosurgery freezing , cauterization burning , or laser surgery.
These procedures destroy the abnormal cells without causing much damage to nearby healthy tissue. This means that the cancer has spread from the surface of the cervix. It may spread to tissue deeper within the cervix or to other parts of the body.
Treatment options depend on the size of the tumor and how far the cancer has spread. They also may depend on your plans for having children in the future.
The most common treatments include:. Treatment of invasive cancer often involves a team of specialists. This could include your family doctor, a gynecologist, and an oncologist cancer specialist. You will all work together to develop the best treatment plan for you. Cervical cancer is treatable, especially when detected early. Precancerous cells can be removed before they develop into cancer. Early treatment often does not affect your ability to have children.
Treatment of more advanced cancers could require removal of the uterus or other reproductive organs. Some women have their eggs frozen for future use before undergoing this kind of surgery. Cancer treatments can be stressful. Treatments can have different side effects on your body. Take good care of yourself. Eat a healthy diet, get plenty of sleep, and try to keep your energy up by staying mildly active. Even after your cancer goes into remission, you are at higher risk of cancer returning to your body.
You will need to get regular follow-up care and check-ups for years after your treatment. National Cancer Institute: Cervical Cancer. This article was contributed by: familydoctor.
This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject. Human papillomavirus HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection that can cause genital warts and certain types of cancer. If you received abnormal cervical cancer screening results, you might be worried. Learn what your results mean and your….
Visit The Symptom Checker. Read More. Cervical cancer adult. Rochester, Minn. Lobo RA, et al. Malignant diseases of the cervix. In: Comprehensive Gynecology.
Philadelphia, Pa. Accessed June 14, Niederhuber JE, et al. Cancers of the cervix, vulva and vagina. In: Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. Cervical cancer. Plymouth Meeting, Pa. Cervical cancer screening adult. Palliative care. Related Cervical cancer Cervical dysplasia: Is it cancer? Cone biopsy HPV infection: How does it cause cervical cancer? Where cervical cancer begins Show more related content. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Learn more about this top honor.
To do a Pap test, the doctor inserts a tiny brush and a small wooden spatula into the vagina and rubs them over the cervix to loosen and collect cells. The cells are smeared on a glass slide that is sent to the lab for study. The Pap test helps identify abnormal cells.
For people with HIV, Pap tests are usually done twice during the first year after HIV diagnosis, followed by once a year if the first two tests showed normal results. However, many physicians with HIV-positive people in their care recommend doing a Pap test every six months. Although Pap tests are useful, they can produce "false-negative" results.
In other words, the lab may report a test result as "normal" when there actually are changes in the cells of the cervix. This is the reason why HPV testing is being used more and more in addition to Pap tests. For HPV testing, doctors can collect a small amount of fluid from the cervix and have it tested for the presence of HPV.
Many doctors recommend that people with a cervix who have been newly diagnosed with HIV have a colposcopy. A colposcope is a microscope that looks into the vagina, which has been opened by a speculum, and allows the doctor to visually examine the cervix. The cervix is lightly washed with a weak vinegar solution before the colposcope is put in place. The vinegar solution makes abnormal cells stand out more clearly against the surrounding tissue. When a colposcopy is performed, a biopsy removal of a tiny piece of tissue from the cervix and sometimes an endocervical curettage the scraping of tissue from the cervix will be done by the doctor.
This procedure can be somewhat painful or cause cramps. The biopsy sample allows lab technicians to study the tissue and confirm the status of cervical tissue.
Pap tests are done by family physicians and gynecologists as part of regular medical care. However, colposcopies and biopsies are done mostly, but not exclusively, by gynecologists. An HIV-positive person with signs of abnormalities on the cervix, vagina, or vulva should also have an anoscopy, or visual inspection of the anus and anal canal using a microscope similar to a colposcope. This is because the cell changes caused by HPV can also occur in the anus and lead to anal dysplasia. If someone is diagnosed with HPV, partner notification is not required as a public health measure, unlike with a chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis or HIV diagnosis.
Treatment for cervical dysplasia and cancer varies from one person to another, depending on the location and size of the lesion or cancer, and whether the lesion is low grade or high grade or whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Whether or not the person wishes to become pregnant also affects treatment decisions. People with cervical cancer may be referred to a gynecologist-oncologist or an oncologist—a doctor who specializes in the treatment of cancer. Although cervical dysplasia and cancer can be treated successfully, HIV-positive individuals are at high risk for having this cancer reappear.
It is important to follow up treatment with regular Pap tests and a colposcopy every three to six months. ART cannot prevent cervical cancer. However, with regular gynecological exams and Pap tests, studies have found that cervical cancer is not common in these individuals in high-income countries.
Practising safer sex by using condoms or having non-penetrative sex can help reduce the risk of becoming infected with HPV. However, condoms do not completely eliminate the risk of HPV transmission because the virus may be present on skin not covered by the condom.
Condoms also reduce the risk of other STIs that contribute to the development of dysplasia and cancer. Stopping cigarette smoking can help reduce the risk of cervical dysplasia and cancer. Three vaccines against HPV genotypes are available in Canada. Gardasil 9 protects against HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18 as well as types 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58 which can also cause cancer.
Indicators of protective effects have lasted for at least 10 years after vaccination in some trials. For either vaccine to work, three doses given over six months are necessary. The vaccines do not provide protection against HPV that people are already infected with, but provide excellent protection against HPV the person has not been exposed to. Also the vaccines have not been shown to be effective for the treatment of established HPV infection and are not approved in Canada for this use.
Gardasil and Cervarix should be avoided in people who are pregnant. Gardasil can be given to people who are breastfeeding, while Cervarix should only be used during breastfeeding when the possible advantages outweigh the possible risks. It is important to remember that even if someone has received one of the vaccines, they are only protected against the cancer-causing HPV types covered by the vaccine they have received.
Regular medical check-ups with pelvic examinations and cervical cancer screening with Pap tests for women and transmen in their 20s and viral testing starting in their 30s are still needed to help all people, regardless of their HIV status, reduce their risk of cervical cancer and watch for signs of cervical dysplasia and cancer.
Cervical dysplasia is not cancer but must be treated to prevent the possibility of it developing into cancer. Cervical cancer is a serious condition, especially for HIV-positive people. The earlier it is found, the better the chances are for successful treatment. Definitions taken from Creating Authentic Spaces: A gender identity and gender expression toolkit to support the implementation of institutional and social change , published by The , Toronto, Ontario.
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