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Additional Information
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The Cervix
The cervix is
part of a woman's reproductive system. It is the lower, narrow
part of the uterus (womb).
The uterus is a hollow, pear-shaped organ in
the lower abdomen.
The cervix connects the uterus to the vagina.
The vagina leads to the outside of the body.
The cervical canal
is a passageway. Blood flows from the uterus through the
canal into the vagina during a woman's menstrual
period. The cervix also produces mucus.
The mucus helps sperm move
from the vagina into the uterus. During pregnancy, the cervix
is tightly closed to help keep the baby inside the uterus.
During childbirth, the cervix dilates (opens)
to allow the baby to pass through the vagina.
Understanding Cancer
Cancer begins in cells,
the building blocks that make up tissues.
Tissues make up the organs of the body.
Normally, cells grow and divide to form new cells as the
body needs them. When cells grow old, they die, and new cells
take their place.
Sometimes, this orderly process goes wrong. New cells form
when the body does not need them, and old cells do not die
when they should. These extra cells can form a mass of tissue
called a growth or tumor.
Tumors can be benign or malignant:
- Benign tumors are not cancer:
- Benign tumors are rarely life-threatening.
- Generally, benign tumors can be removed, and they
usually do not grow back.
- Cells from benign tumors do not invade the tissues
around them.
- Cells from benign tumors do not spread to other
parts of the body.
- Polyps, cysts,
and genital
warts are types of benign growths on the
cervix.
- Malignant tumors are cancer:
- Malignant tumors are generally
more serious than benign tumors. They may be life-threatening.
- Malignant tumors often can be removed. But sometimes
they grow back.
- Cells from malignant tumors can invade and damage
nearby tissues and organs.
- Cells from malignant tumors can spread (metastasize)
to other parts of the body. Cancer cells spread by
breaking away from the original (primary)
tumor and entering the bloodstream or lymphatic
system. The cells invade other organs and
form new tumors that damage these organs. The spread
of cancer is called metastasis.
When cancer spreads from its original place to another
part of the body, the new tumor has the same kind of
abnormal cells and the same name as the primary tumor.
For example, if cervical cancer spreads to the lungs,
the cancer cells in the lungs are actually cervical cancer
cells. The disease is metastatic cervical cancer, not
lung cancer. For that reason, it is treated as cervical
cancer, not lung cancer. Doctors call the new tumor "distant" or
metastatic disease.
Risk Factors
Doctors cannot always explain why one woman develops cervical
cancer and another does not. However, we do know that a woman
with certain risk
factors may be more likely than others to develop
cervical cancer. A risk factor is something that may increase
the chance of developing a disease.
Studies have found a number of factors that may increase
the risk of cervical cancer. These factors may act together
to increase the risk even more:
- Human
papillomaviruses (HPVs):
HPV infection is
the main risk factor for cervical cancer. HPV is
a group of viruses that
can infect the cervix. HPV infections are very common.
These viruses can be passed from person to person
through sexual contact. Most adults have been infected
with HPV at some time in their lives. Some types
of HPV can cause changes to cells in the cervix.
These changes can lead to genital warts, cancer,
and other problems. Doctors may check for HPV even
if there are no warts or other symptoms.
If a woman has an HPV infection, her doctor can discuss
ways to avoid infecting other people. The Pap
test can detect cell changes in the cervix caused
by HPV. (See the "Screening" section
to learn more about the Pap test.) Treatment of these cell
changes can prevent cervical cancer. There are several treatment
methods, including freezing or burning the infected tissue.
Sometimes medicine also helps.
The NCI offers a fact sheet called "Human
Papillomaviruses and Cancer: Questions and Answers."
- Lack of regular Pap tests: Cervical
cancer is more common among women who do not have regular
Pap tests. The Pap test helps doctors find precancerous cells.
Treating precancerous cervical changes often prevents cancer.
- Weakened immune
system (the body's natural defense
system): Women with HIV (the
virus that causes AIDS)
infection or who take drugs that suppress the immune
system have a higher-than-average risk of developing
cervical cancer. For these women, doctors suggest
regular screening for
cervical cancer.
- Age: Cancer of the cervix occurs most
often in women over the age of 40.
- Sexual history: Women who have had many
sexual partners have a higher-than-average risk of developing
cervical cancer. Also, a woman who has had sexual intercourse
with a man who has had many sexual partners may be at higher
risk of developing cervical cancer. In both cases, the
risk of developing cervical cancer is higher because these
women have a higher-than-average risk of HPV infection.
- Smoking cigarettes: Women with an HPV
infection who smoke cigarettes have a higher risk of cervical
cancer than women with HPV infection who do not smoke.
- Using birth control pills for a long time:
Using birth control pills for a long time (5 or more years)
may increase the risk of cervical cancer among women with
HPV infection.
- Having many children: Studies suggest
that giving birth to many children may increase the risk
of cervical cancer among women with HPV infection.
Diethylstilbestrol (DES)
may increase the risk of a rare form of cervical cancer and
certain other cancers of the reproductive system in daughters
exposed to this drug before birth. DES was given to some
pregnant women in the United States between about 1940 and
1971. (It is no longer given to pregnant women.)
Women who think they may be at risk for cancer of the cervix
should discuss this concern with their doctor. They may want
to ask about a schedule for checkups. For more information
about risk factors, see the NCI booklet Understanding
Cervical Changes.
To read the rest of this great article, including screening
and treatment information from the National Cancer Institute,
please click here: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/cervix/page2
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