Diagnosis of Cervical Cancer
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HPV
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Cervical cancer is a common form of cancer found in a woman's reproductive tissues normally caused by different strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is a sexually transmitted disease. Usually, the immune system is able to keep HPV from forming cervical cancer. However, in some women, the immune system is unable to keep the virus at bay and over the course of several years it can cause cancer cells to form on the cervix.
Pap Smears
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Cervical cancer diagnosis is mainly found through Pap smears, which are normally performed on an annual basis once a woman is sexually active or after their 21st birthday. Pap tests, which have been utilized by physicians for over 50 years, have helped reduce cervical cancer diagnoses due to their preventative measures. However, the American Cancer Society reports that more than 11,000 American women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year and over 4,000 die from the disease. More than a third of cancer-related deaths in women around the world are due to cervical cancer.
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Stages
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Cervical cancer can take many forms, but it is usually in the form of squamous cell carcinomas. Squamous cell carcinomas cause 90 percent of cervical cancers. Cervical cancer is typically asymptomatic in its earliest stages. When a physician completes a Pap smear on a patient, they take a sample of cervical cells from the woman and test it for precancerous cells, which result in an abnormal Pap smear. Once it is determined that the cells are abnormal, the physician conducts a colposcopy of the cervix, which involves using a magnifying glass to look at the cervix. A biopsy of the cervix is also performed, which involves taking a piece of cervical tissue and running tests on it to establish whether or not it is cancerous.
If cancer is found in the cervical tissue, a cervical cancer diagnosis is made. Cervical cancer is classified into five different stages: Stage 0, Stage I, Stage II, Stage III and Stage IV. In Stage 0 cervical cancer, abnormal cells are found only in the cervical lining. Stage I cervical cancer is cancer found only in the cervix. This stage is often broken down into four sub-stages depending on the size and depth of the cancer in the tissues. In Stage II cancer, the cancer has spread from the cervix into the uterus and beyond, but it still contained to the pelvis. Stage III cervical cancer is found outside of the pelvic wall, into the vagina and may affect the kidney ureters. In the final stage, Stage IV, cervical cancer has moved outside of the pelvis to nearby organs such as the bladder and may be present in other major organs.
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