Frequently asked questions about the gynae cancer

• February 18, 2022
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Cervical Cancer

Q1 What are the symptoms of cervical cancer?
Ans- Foul-smelling persistent vaginal discharge, any abnormal bleeding like-postcoital bleeding/ intermenstrual bleeding or postmenopausal bleeding is the most common symptoms of cervical cancer.

Q2 What are the causes of cancer cervix?
Ans - HPV ( Human Papillomavirus) infection is responsible for 80-90 % of cervical cancer cases worldwide

Q3 Who is prone to get cervical cancer?
Ans -patients with multiple sexual partners, patients with early age at first coitus, early childbirth, the husband with multiple sexual partners, patients with the sexually transmitted disease are more prone to get an infection with the HPV virus and later cervical cancer.

Q4 Can cervical cancer be prevented?
Ans- Yes it can be prevented by regular screening of married women and by vaccinating girls before starting sexual activity.

Q5 How screening is helpful in the prevention of cervical cancer?
Ans- Cervical cancer has a long natural history. Firstly, precancer 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.

Q6 What are the different methods of screening cervical cancer?
Ans- PAPS smear, 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 detect abnormal changes in the cervix and help in biopsy site identification.

Q7 Do genetics play a role in cervical cancer?
Ans-NO genetics does not play any role in this cancer

Q8 What are the treatment modalities of cervical cancer?
Ans- Surgery (Radical hysterectomy with B/l pelvic lymphadenectomy) is the treatment of choice for the early stage of cancer cervix. In the advanced stage, radiotherapy along with chemotherapy is given.

Q9 What are the chances of recurrence?
Ans - If treated in the early-stage recurrence is rare but in the advanced stage recurrence risk is high.

Endometrial Cancer

Q1 What are the symptoms of endometrial cancer?
Ans-Abnormal vaginal bleeding like heavy menstrual bleeding or postmenopausal bleeding is the most common early symptom.

Q2 Which females are at risk for endometrial cancer?
Ans- Patients who are obese, hypertensive, or diabetic. Patients with a history of Polycystic ovaries, postmenopausal patients on long-term estrogen therapy, patients of carcinoma breast on hormonal therapy are at risk of endometrial cancer. Patients with a family history of ovarian/ breast/ endometrium or colon cancer.

Q3 Do genetics play a role in endometrial cancer?
Ans - yes 5-10% of cases of carcinoma endometrium are familial, they have some genetic mutations which are a predisposing factor for endometrial, colon, ovarian, and breast cancer.

Q4 Does HRT increases the risk of endometrial cancer?
Ans- Yes, unopposed estrogen therapy without progesterone therapy can increase the risk of endometrial cancer.

Q5 What are the ways for prevention or early detection of endometrial cancer?
Ans- do not neglect the abnormal vaginal bleeding in the perimenopausal age group, Do not start any blind hormone therapy without D&C and biopsy report in case of abnormal bleeding in this age group Annual ultrasonography after the age of 40 years in patients with a family history of endometrial, colon, and breast or ovarian cancer.

Q6 What is the treatment of endometrial cancer?
Ans- Surgery is the treatment of choice in early-stage endometrial cancer. Postoperative management like observation/adjuvant radiotherapy and /or chemotherapy is decided according to the final histopathology report. In the advanced stage, only chemotherapy may be given.

Q7 Is follow-up needed after completion of the treatment?
Ans- Yes, every cancer needs follow-up because there is always a chance of recurrence even after completion of the treatment. Regular follow-up helps in detecting recurrence early. So all patient needs regular checkups once every three months for 2 years, once in every 6 months after 2 years till 5 years, and then annually for life long.

Ovarian cancer

Q1 What are the symptoms of carcinoma ovary?
Ans- In the early stages there are usually no symptoms or very vague complaints like abdominal fullness, heaviness, bloating after eating food, or loss of appetite. In the late stages, there may be abdominal distension or urinary complaints, or altered bowel habits. Sometimes the ovarian tumor is an accidental finding on ultrasound.

Q2 Which females are at risk of ovarian cancer?
Ans- Females with a family history of ovarian and breast cancer are at risk of having some genetic mutations responsible for this cancer. Females with early menarche, late menopause, unmarried women, women with no child, late childbirth with multiple treatments of infertility with ovulation induction drugs are at risk.

Q3 How can we reduce the risk of ovarian cancer?
Ans - use of oral contraceptives for 5 years reduces the risk of ovarian cancer by 50%, pregnancy, childbirth also reduces the risk of ovarian cancer.

Q4 Do genetics play a role in ovarian cancer?
Ans- Females with a family history of ovarian and breast cancer are at risk of having some genetic mutations BRCA1 and BRCA2 which are responsible for this cancer.

Q5 How to detect ovarian cancer in the early stage?
Ans- As symptoms are vague and usually diagnosed in an advanced stage, regular screening with annual ultrasound abdomen after the age of 40 in the general population and 10 years before the age of the patient in the family in cases of family history of breast or ovary cancer or patient who is BRCA gene mutation-positive, helps in early detection of ovarian cancer. There is no single specific test to screen ovarian cancer.

Q6 Is there any relation between cancer breast and cancer ovary?
Ans- Some patients who have BRCA mutation, are at risk of both cancers ovary and breast.

Q7 What is the treatment of cancer ovary?
Ans- Treatment of cancer ovary involves a combination of surgery and chemotherapy. Depending on the stage of the disease, their sequence is decided. In the early stage, surgery is done, which may be followed by chemotherapy. In the advanced stage, both methods are used, depending on the general condition of the patient to tolerate the treatment.

Q8 Can young girls are affected by ovarian cancer?
Ans- yes ovarian cancer can occur in young girls, most common ovarian cancer in this age group is the germ cell tumor of the ovary.