{"id":4452,"date":"2017-12-12T14:46:07","date_gmt":"2017-12-12T14:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/drnascimento.com.au\/?page_id=4452"},"modified":"2017-12-15T02:59:22","modified_gmt":"2017-12-15T02:59:22","slug":"cervical-cancer","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/drnascimento.com.au\/cervical-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Cervical Cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Cervical Cancer<\/h1>\n

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[et_pb_accordion_item title=”What is Cervical Cancer?”]<\/p>\n

What is the cervix?<\/h3>\n

The cervix is the lower, narrow part of the uterus (womb). The uterus, a hollow, pear-shaped organ, is located in a woman\u2019s lower abdomen, between the bladder and the rectum. The cervix forms a canal that opens into the vagina, which leads to the outside of the body. It can be seen when your have a Pap smear and felt by your doctor during your examination.<\/p>\n

What is cervical cancer?<\/h3>\n

Cancer<\/a>\u00a0that forms in tissues of the cervix. It is usually a slow-growing cancer that may not have symptoms but can be found with regular Pap smear tests (a procedure in which cells are scrapped from the cervix and looked at under a microscope). Cervical cancer is almost always caused by human papillomavirus (HPV<\/span><\/a>) infection.<\/p>\n

How does cervical cancer develop?<\/h3>\n

Cervical cancer starts in the cells on the surface of the cervix. There are two types of cells on the cervix\u2019s surface: squamous and columnar. Squamous cell is the commonest subtype representing 85% of the cervix cancers.<\/p>\n

Cervical cancer usually develops very slowly. It starts as a precancerous condition called dysplasia. This precancerous condition can be detected by a Pap smear and is 100% treatable. That is why it is so important for women to get regular Pap smears. Most women (90%) who are diagnosed with cervical cancer have not had regular Pap smears or they have not followed up on abnormal Pap smear results.<\/p>\n

Undetected precancerous changes can develop into cervical cancer and later spread to the bladder, intestines, lungs, and liver. It can take years for precancerous changes to turn into cervical cancer. Patients with cervical cancer do not usually have problems until the cancer is advanced and has spread.<\/p>\n

Almost all cervical cancers are caused by\u00a0HPV<\/span>\u00a0(Human Papilloma Virus).\u00a0HPV<\/span>\u00a0is a common virus that is spread through sexual intercourse. There are more than 100 types of\u00a0HPV<\/span>. Some strains lead to cervical cancer. Other strains may cause genital warts, while others do not cause any problems at all.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Risk Factors”]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. For example, infection with\u00a0HPV<\/span>\u00a0(Human Papilloma Virus) is the main cause of cervical cancer.\u00a0HPV<\/span>\u00a0infection and other risk factors may act together to increase the risk even more:<\/p>\n

HPV<\/span>\u00a0Infection<\/h4>\n

HPV<\/span>\u00a0is a group of viruses that can infect the cervix. An\u00a0HPV<\/span>\u00a0infection that doesn\u2019t go away for years can progress to cervical cancer in some women.\u00a0HPV<\/span>\u00a0is the cause of nearly all cervical cancers. Having long standing\u00a0HPV<\/span>\u00a0infection does not mean that a woman will definitely develop cervical cancer. Most women in fact will never develop it. Lack of regular Pap smear tests: Cervical cancer is more common among women who don\u2019t have regular Pap tests. The Pap test helps doctors find abnormal cells. Removing or killing the abnormal cells prevents cervical cancer.<\/p>\n

Smoking<\/h4>\n

Among women who are infected with\u00a0HPV<\/span>, smoking cigarettes slightly increases the risk of cervical cancer. Weakened immune system (the body\u2019s natural defence system), infection with\u00a0HIV<\/span>\u00a0(the virus that causes\u00a0AIDS<\/span>) or taking drugs that suppress the immune system increases the risk of cervical cancer.<\/p>\n

Sexual History<\/h4>\n

Women who have had many sexual partners have a higher risk of developing cervical cancer. Also, a woman who has had sex 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 risk of\u00a0HPV<\/span>\u00a0infection.<\/p>\n

Using birth control pills for a long time<\/h4>\n

Using birth control pills for a long time (5 or more years) may slightly increase the risk of cervical cancer among women with\u00a0HPV<\/span>\u00a0infection. However, the risk decreases quickly when women stop using birth control pills.<\/p>\n

Having Many Children<\/h4>\n

Studies suggest that giving birth to many children (5 or more) may slightly increase the risk of cervical cancer among women with\u00a0HPV<\/span>\u00a0infection.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=” Symptoms”]<\/p>\n

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Early cervical cancers usually don\u2019t cause symptoms at all. Women may notice one or more of the following symptoms as the cancer grows:<\/p>\n