Description of Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is a common type of cancer in women, and is a disease in which cells are cancerous (malignant) in the tissues of the cervix.
The uterus is the hollow organ, inverted pear-shaped, where a fetus grows. The neck or uterine cervix is an opening that connects the uterus to the vagina (birth canal).
Cervical cancer begins to grow slowly. Before appearing cancer cells in the cervix, normal tissues of the cervix go through a process known as dysplasia, in which abnormal cells begin to appear.
A Papanicolaou cytology usually find these pre-malignant cells. Later, cancer cells start to grow and spread more deeply into the cervix and surrounding areas.
Since there is generally no symptoms associated with cervical cancer usually involves a series of tests to diagnose:
*Papanicolaou cytology: is carried out using a piece of cotton, a brush or a small wooden spatula to gently scrape the outside of the cervix to collect cells. The patient may feel some pressure, which in some cases accompanied by pain.
*Biopsy. If abnormal cells are found, the doctor will remove a sample of tissue from the cervix and observe under a microscope for the presence of cancer cells. To perform a biopsy only need a small amount of tissue can be done in the doctor’s office. Sometimes you need to remove a biopsy sample cone-shaped, larger (cone), for which it may be necessary to go to hospital.
The prognosis (chance of recovery) and choice of treatment depend on the stage of the cancer (if only in the cervix or has spread to other places) and the general state of health.