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#Cervical Cancer Detection Guidelines

Cervical cancer is the second, after breast, most common in women and the fifth most common of all cancers.

It is common among young women. The average age of diagnosis is around 50 years of age although it may appear from 20 years on.

There is clear evidence that early detection of cervical cancer and the precancerous lesions leads to, in the majority of cases, recovery.

What is cervical cancer or cervix?

It is a type of cancer that occurs in cells of the cervix, the interior part of the uterus that connects to the vagina.

 

Many strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease, may cause the majority of cervical cancers.

 

When a woman’s immune system is exposed to HPV, generally, it destroys the virus, killing the infection themselves. Nevertheless, in a small group of women, the virus survives over the years, and contributes to the possibility that the cells of the lining of the cervix become cancerous.

How does it usually begin?

Women with cervical cancer in the early stages and precancerous stages do not usually experience symptoms. The symptoms often do not begin until a precancerous cell becomes an invasive cancer and grows towards the adjacent tissue. When this happens, the most common symptoms are:

 

• Abnormal vaginal bleeding: bleeding after having sexual relations, after menopause, bleeding and staining between menstrual cycles that las more time or a greater amount of bleeding than usual.
• An unusual vaginal discharge: (the discharge may contain blood and could happen during one’s cycle or after menopause).
• Pain during sexual relations (vaginal intercourse).

 

Nevertheless, these symptoms may also be caused by other different conditions, for example, an infection. Even so, if you have any of these symptoms, you should immediately consult your doctor (even if you have been having regular pap smears examinations).

What are the risk factors?

This type of cancer, generally, is caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), that is transmitted during sexual relations and is, also, the cause of genital warts.

 

The risk of developing cervical cancer is greater in the following cases:

 

• Having sexual relations at an early age
• Having more than one sexual partner
• Having sexual relations with men whose previous partners have been infected by HPV.
• Smoking cigarettes.
• Having a weak immune system (due to a disorder like cancer, AIDS, or being treated with corticosteroids).

What methods are used to detect it?

At HC Marbella the standards for detection that we follow are based on the following tests:

 

• Vaginal Pap smear: this is the best methods of early detection of cervical cancer. The pap smear is used to detect abnormal cells that already exist in the cervix. The sooner these cells are detected, the sooner they can begin to be controlled and less probability that cancer will develop.

 

• HPV test: similar to the pap smear, it is done with a sample of cells from the cervix of the patient. If the HPV test has a “positive” result, it means that its presence has been found. However, many women have HPV but do not have cancer, and thus, the HPV test is not decisive. If the pap smear is positive, at XX we suggest 1 or more of the following diagnostic tests:

 

• Colposcopy: In order to do this, a colposcope is used, that allows the doctor to view the abnormal areas of the vaginal and cervical tissues closely. This is done in a doctor’s appointment, it is not painful and does not have any side effects. It can also be don on pregnant women.

  The colposcopy is complementary and is the only way to have a cervical biopsy, if necessary.

 

• Biopsy: it consists in extracting a small amount of tissue in order to examine it through a microscope. Other tests may indicate the presence of cancer, but only a biopsy permits a definitive diagnosis.

HC Marbella International Hospital

At HC Marbella, we know the importance of evaluating the risk of cancer and its early detection, in order to have the possibilities of curing it.