Cervical cancer
Dr. Renuka Gupta M.S.FMAS. Fellowship Gynae- Oncology
Senior Consultant Gynae- Oncologist
Shree Aggrasain International Hospital
Common symptoms: Foul smelling persistent vaginal discharge, any abnormal bleeding like post-coital bleeding, inter-menstrual bleeding, or post-menopausal bleeding, in advanced stage
the patient may present with urinary and bowel problems.
Cause: HPV (Human Papillomavirus) infection is responsible for 80-90 % of cervical cancer cases worldwide,
Risk Factors: Cervical cancer does not run in family; it does not transmit through genes.
Women with multiple sexual partners, early age at first coitus, early childbirth, a husband with multiple sexual partners, and women suffering from sexually transmitted diseases are more prone
to get an infection with the HPV virus and later cervical cancer.
How to protect yourself: vaccination and screening are the tools to protect.
Cervical cancer has a long natural history. Firstly, precancerous changes occur in the cervix which later develops into cervical cancer.
Screening can detect the precancer stage of cervical cancer and with the different modes of treatment it can be cured in the precancer stage, so we can stop the progression of precancer into
cancer so it can be prevented by regular screening of married women and by vaccinating girls before starting sexual activity.
Screening methods: Several methods are available for screening like PAPS smear, and LBC (both are cytology tests where superficial scrapings of the cervix are taken and sent for testing)
HPV DNA testing (it detects the presence of HPV infection) VIA, VILI, and colposcopy which detect abnormal changes in the cervix.
Treatment: There are multiple treatment modalities for the precancerous stage in which the disease can be cured without removing the uterus like cryotherapy, LEEP, and cold knife conization.
Surgery (Radical hysterectomy with B/L pelvic lymph-adenectomy) is the treatment of choice for the early stage of cancer cervix.
In the advanced stage, radiotherapy along with chemotherapy is given to treat the patient.
Patients need to prolong follow-up after completion of treatment for early detection of recurrence. Recurrence is very rare in the early stage after completion of treatment but is common in
the advanced stage even after treatment.
DR. RENUKA GUPTA