User:Mr. Ibrahem/Cervical cancer
Medical condition / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix.[2] It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body.[13] Early on, typically no symptoms are seen.[2] Later, symptoms may include abnormal vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain, pain during sexual intercourse, and sometimes problems with bowel and bladder function.[2] While bleeding after sex may not be serious, it may also indicate the presence of cervical cancer.[14]
Cervical cancer | |
---|---|
Location of cervical cancer and an example of normal and abnormal cells | |
Pronunciation | |
Specialty | Oncology |
Symptoms | Early: none[2] Later: vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain, pain during sexual intercourse[2] |
Usual onset | Over 10 to 20 years[3] |
Types | Squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, others[4] |
Causes | Human papillomavirus infection (HPV)[5][6] |
Risk factors | Smoking, weak immune system, birth control pills, starting sex at a young age, many sexual partners or a partner with many sexual partners[7][4][8] |
Diagnostic method | Cervical screening followed by a biopsy[7] |
Prevention | Regular cervical screening, HPV vaccines, condoms[9][10] |
Treatment | Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy[7] |
Prognosis | Five-year survival rate: 68% (US) 46% (India)[11] |
Frequency | 570,000 new cases (2018)[12] |
Deaths | 311,000 (2018)[12] |
Human papillomavirus infection (HPV) causes more than 90% of cases.[5][6] Most people who have had HPV infections, however, do not develop cervical cancer.[3][15] Other risk factors include smoking, a weak immune system, birth control pills, starting sex at a young age, and having many sexual partners, but these are less important.[4][7] Cervical cancer typically develops from precancerous changes over 10 to 20 years.[3] About 90% of cervical cancer cases are squamous cell carcinomas, 10% are adenocarcinoma, and a small number are other types.[4] Diagnosis is typically by cervical screening followed by a biopsy.[7] Medical imaging is then done to determine whether or not the cancer has spread.[7]
HPV vaccines protect against two to seven high-risk strains of this family of viruses and may prevent up to 90% of cervical cancers.[10][16][17] As a risk of cancer still exists, guidelines recommend continuing regular Pap tests.[10] Other methods of prevention include having few or no sexual partners and the use of condoms.[9] Cervical cancer screening using the Pap test or acetic acid can identify precancerous changes, which when treated, can prevent the development of cancer.[18] Treatment may consist of some combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.[7] Five-year survival rates in the United States are 68%.[19] Outcomes, however, depend very much on how early the cancer is detected.[4]
Worldwide, cervical cancer is both the fourth-most common cause of cancer and the fourth-most common cause of death from cancer in women.[3] In 2012, an estimated 528,000 cases of cervical cancer occurred, with 266,000 deaths.[3] This is about 8% of the total cases and total deaths from cancer.[20] About 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of deaths occur in developing countries.[3][21] In low-income countries, it is one of the most common causes of cancer death.[18] In developed countries, the widespread use of cervical screening programs has dramatically reduced rates of cervical cancer.[22] In medical research, the most famous immortalized cell line, known as HeLa, was developed from cervical cancer cells of a woman named Henrietta Lacks.[23]