In today’s world, cervical cancer is one of the major life threat diseases that is unnoticed by many people. Cervical cancer is a malicious growth that develops in the cells of the cervix. It is a lower part of the uterus, which links the uterus to the vagina. There are some symptoms by which an individual can know whether they have cervical cancer or not. The early signs of cervical cancer are vaginal bleeding, etc. In this blog, we will going to discuss about early signs of cervical cancer and many more. So stay tuned, till the end.
What is Cervical Cancer?
Cervical cancer is a cancer in which the malignant cancerous cells grows in the cervix. It is a lower and narrower part of the uterus, which connects the uterus to the vagina. It causes the cancer generally during the sex intercourse between male and females. They causes through the constant infection with high-risks HPV virus.
What are the Early Signs of Cervical Cancer?
There are various symptoms of cervical cancer by which an individual can know if they have suffering from the cervical cancer or not and they can plan its treatment accordingly. The signs of the cervical cancer is mainly seen in phases. There are different phases, such as:
Phase 1: Early Signs
It is the first step or phase in which the signs of cervical cancer are minimal. In this phase, you have to consult with the doctor to confirm if you have cervical cancer or not. Some of the symptoms in this phase are:
Abnormal Vaginal Bleeding
Abnormal vaginal bleeding is a problem that occurs after the normal menstrual cycle. This problem occurs during sex, menopause, and sometimes while urinating. It happens because the early cancer cells damage the cervical blood vessels and irritate the vagina time to time.
Unusual Vaginal Discharge
Unusual vaginal discharge is a clear or whitish fluid that comes through the vagina. It includes changes in color, strong false odor, changes of texture. It happens due to sexually transmitted infections and shifting of hormones.
Pain During Sexual Intercourse
It is also known as dyspareunia and a common & genital pain during or after sexual intercourse, you may feel pain externally and internally in your vagina. You can feel the worst pain during the deep penetration or infection in the vagina.
Pelvic Discomfort
Pelvic discomfort is the pain you feel lower in the abdomen and between the hips and caused by early tumor development. It can be light or serious pain and may come from reproductive or urinary systems. It can be cured through medications as well as through surgery.
Phase 2: Intermediate Stage
In this stage, the cancer is reached beyond the cervix and you have to consult with the doctor as soon as possible. Some of the signs of advanced stage are:
Persistent Pelvic or Lower Back Pain
At this stage, the tumor spreads on nerves, muscles and organs of the pelvis. It causes constant and serious pain in the pelvic and lower back.
Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
It involves a longer and irregular menstrual cycle because cervical cancer disrupts the menstrual cycle and the cervix’s normal function.
Pain During Urinating
At intermediate stage of cervical cancer, you feel the pain during urinating because the cancer presses on the bladder and urethra which causes burning and pain in the vagina.
Pain During Bowel Movements
It is the symptoms that can be seen in the advanced stage of cancer. It is commonly known as dyschezia in which the tumor grow beyond the cervix and nearby pelvic organs. The tumor directly or indirectly affect pelvic nerves and lead to pain during defecation.
Phase 3: Advanced Stage
In the advanced stage of cervical cancer the tumor reach to the other organs like liver, kidney, etc. Some of the symptoms at this stage are:
Severe Pelvic and Abdominal Pain
At the advanced stage of cancer the cancer spread its symptoms to other parts of the body and causes serious pelvic and abdominal pain. The pain happens because the nerve and organ are invaded by the cancer cells.
Sudden Weight Loss
As the tumor grows and affect the other parts of the body. It affects the metabolism and appetite of the body that leads to rapid and sudden weight loss.
Swelling of Legs
Swelling of legs is also known as lymphedema in which the lymph vessels are blocked and cause accumulation of fluid in legs. It leads to swelling of the legs and you may feel that your leg is heavier than before.
Bone Pain
As the tumor develops it damages the other parts of the body, by which the bone becomes weak. It leads to pain in the bone mainly in the parts of the hip, legs and the spine.
Kidney Problems
During cancer the excretory systems are disturbed which leads to blockage of urine and causes many kidney problems like reduced urination, severe fatigue, etc.
Difficulty in Breathing
In the advanced stage the tumor is spread to the lungs and it leads to shortness of breath and constant chronic cough. The fluids are accumulated around the lungs and make it very harder to breathe. You may cough all the time and also have chest pain.
How to Diagnose Early Signs of Cervical Cancer?
The diagnosis of cervical cancer is a multi-stage process that includes screening, tests, etc. The following are the diagnosis steps:
Clinical Suspicion
The diagnosis mainly begins with women presents with the symptoms like:
- Abnormal vaginal pain
- Foul smelling
- Vaginal discharge
- Pelvic pain
Sometimes the signs of cervical cancer cannot be seen and it can be detected through routine screening.
Screening Tests
This is the first step in detection of cervical cancer. It includes:
- Pap Smear: It is also known as the Papanicolaou test in which it detects the pre-cancer and cancerous cells on the cervix. It shows abnormal results like ASCUS, HSIL, etc. It does not confirm cancer and indicates further testing.
- HPV DNA Test: This test is requires to identifies high-risk HPV virus, like HPV-16 and HPV-18. It is done along with the Pap Smear test.
Colposcopy
It is performed when the Pap Smear and HPV test is abnormal. In this test colposcope, a magnifying tool is used to examine the cervix and helps in identifying the exact site for biopsy.
Cervical Biopsy
In this process, the tissue is removed from the cervix. In this test, doctors takes a small tissue samples from cervix to check for the precancerous and cancerous cells.
Imaging Tests
The imaging tests includes CT scan, MRI, etc.
- MRI Pelvis: A pelvis MRI is a imagine test in which the machines with powerful magnets and radio waves are used to create a picture of the area between the hip bones. It is used to identify the size of the tumor.
- CT Scan: It is used to identify the lymph nodes is affected by the cancer or not. It includes the scan of lungs and liver.
What are the Treatments for the Early Signs of Cervical Cancer?
The treatments for the early signs of cervical cancer is based on the stages of the cancer. It includes surgery, therapy, etc. Some of the treatments includes:
Treatments Based on Stage
In this, the medications and the treatments are based on the condition of patients and the stage of cancer they are suffering from. Some of the treatments based on the stages are:
Stage 1
For stage 1 cancer, the treatments are focused on surgery, like cone biopsy, hysterectomy for fertility preservation, and radiation therapy to kill the cancer cells.
Stage 2
In stage 2 of cervical cancer, the treatments are done with the help of combined chemotherapy & radiation therapy and brachytherapy to remove the lymph nodes and kill the cancer cells.
Stage 3
For stage 3 of cervical cancer, the treatments are focused on combination of chemotherapy & internal and external radiation therapy to shrink and stop spreading the tumor to the other organs of the body. In high-risk cases, sometimes immunotherapy are used to stop spreading the cancer cells in other parts of the body.
Stage 4
In this stage of cervical cancer, the treatments are mainly focused on controlling the growth and managing the symptoms of cervical cancer. The treatments includes in this stage is chemotherapy combined with external & internal radiation therapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy.
What are the Risks of Cervical Cancer After the Treatments?
Every disease has its treatments and the treatments are comes with some risks also. There are also some risks involved in the treatments of cervical cancer:
Changes in Menstrual Cycles
The treatments used in cervical cancer like chemotherapy or radiation therapy, can affect the ovaries and slows down the menstrual cycles. Sometimes periods might stop for months and result in early menopause.
Changes in Bladder and Bowel
The radiation therapy used in the treatment for cervical cancer affects the nerves and tissues which control the bladder. It resulted in frequent urination, leaking or urine while laughing or coughing.
Pelvic Pain
After the treatment, pelvic pain is common for those who were suffering from cervical cancer. It is usually due to healing changes of the body. There are other reasons such as radiation therapy causes stiffness and irritation in pelvic tissues.
Fertility and Pregnant Risks
The treatments for cervical cancer can affect the fertility and pregnancy depending upon the type of treatment used. Surgery and chemotherapy may stop the ability to become pregnant as therapy or surgery can affect the uterus and ovaries.
Benefits of Cervical Cancer After the Treatment
The benefits of cervical cancer after the treatment like enhancing life, cancer control, etc. Few of them are listed below.
- Controlling of Cancer: The cancer cannot be cured completely but it can be controlled through effective treatments and medications. With the help of surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy the risks of cervical cancer are minimal.
- Improved Life Expectancy: Early signs of cervical cancer have a high success rate and with the help of effective and disciplined treatments and medication increases the chances of long-term survival.
- Enhance Quality of Life: With the help of treatment like chemotherapy and radiation therapy, many people come to their routine life with ease and live their life with more confidence and happiness than before.
- Preservation of Fertility: In the early stage of cervical cancer many women can retain the ability to get pregnant with the help of fertility-sparing treatments.
Conclusion
Cervical cancer is one of the major and common diseases nowadays. It happens during the sexual intercourse between the male and the female. This cancer gives the early signs like vaginal bleeding, etc and can be cured in its early stages. In this blog, we discussed all the important facts of early signs of cervical cancer which can help the individual to understand all the information about cervical cancer.