Home > Cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is one of the more common cancers affecting women of reproductive age. It may present with vaginal bleeding but is often only detected in advanced stages, which has made it the focus of intense screening efforts. Early stages are treated with local surgical therapy; advanced stages require hysterectomy (removal of the whole uterus including part of the vagina) and adjuvant therapy such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy.1 Risk factors
One of the prime risk factors for cervical cancer is the presence of particular types of human papillomavirus (HPV). A virus cancer link with HPV has been found to trigger alterations in the cells of the cervix, leading to the development of cancer (see the role of apoptosis in cell damage or infection). The strains of HPV linked to cervical cancer (strains 16, 18 and 31), are not the ones that cause genital warts.
Epidemiologists working in the early 20th century noted that:
- Cervical cancer was common in female sex workers.
- It was rare in nuns, except for those who had been sexually active before entering the convent.
- It was more common in the second wives of men whose first wives had died from cervical cancer.
- Its was rare in the wives of Jewish and other circumcised men.
This led to the deduction that cervical cancer could be caused by a sexually transmitted agent. But it wasn't until the 1970s that this agent was identified as the human papillomavirus. It has since been demonstrated that the virus is implicated in 90% of cervical cancers.
Women are advised to have a pap smear annually to check for precancerous cells, or other abnormalities. If cervical cancer is detected early, it can be treated without impairing fertility.
A study published in 2002 (Castellsagué et al) found that male circumcision reduces the risks of penile human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the man and as a result that of cervical cancer in his female partner.
In predominantly non-circumcising Great Britain the incidence of cervical cancer has reached alarming proportions in that the mortality in England and Wales in women younger than 35 years rose three-fold from 1967 to 1987. In a study published in 2004 (Peto J et al) scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that had it not been for effective cervical screening fully one in 65 of all British women born since 1950 would have died from cancer of the cervix.
In a 1986 study performed in China[1], the presence of smegma was specifically identified as a high risk factor in causing cervical cancer.
2 Notable patients
Notable people who have suffered from or died of cervical cancer:
- Henrietta Lacks
- Colleen DewhurstColleen Dewhurst ( 3 June 1924 22 August 1991) was a Canadian actress best known for playing Marilla Cuthbert in the various Anne of Green Gables productions from Sullivan Entertainment. Her breakthrough stage role, which made her a major success, came in
- Karin SmithKarin Smith died on March 8, 1995, of cervical cancer. After her death, a grand jury found a doctor and laboratory technician to be guilty of negligent homicide. In 1988 and 1989, Smith had received pap smears which were argued to have "unequivocally" sho
- Anita MuiAnita Mui Yim-fong (; pinyin: Mei Yanfng; Cantonese Yale: muih yihm fong) ( October 10, 1963 December 30, 2003) was a popular Hong Kong pop singer and actress. Personal background Mui had one elder sister and two brothers. Her father died when she was you
3 References
- Castellsague X, Bosch FX, Munoz N, Meijer CJ, Shah KV, de Sanjose S, Eluf-Neto J, Ngelangel CA, Chichareon S, Smith JS, Herrero R, Moreno V, Franceschi S; International Agency for Research on Cancer Multicenter Cervical Cancer Study Group. Male circumcision, penile human Papillomavirus infection, and cervical cancer in female partners. N Engl J Med 2002;346:1105-12. Fulltext. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids= } Medline abstract] (PMID }).
- Peto J, Gilham C, Fletcher O, Matthews FE. The cervical cancer epidemic that screening has prevented in the UK. Lancet 2004;364:249-56. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids= } Medline abstract] (PMID }).
OncologyPlease refer to cancer for the biology of malignant disease, as well as a list of malignant diseases. Oncology is the medical study and treatment of cancer. A physician who practices oncology is an oncologist''. The term is from the Greek onkos meaning bu
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