Cervical Cancer | HealthInfi

Overview

Cancer of the cervix is second only to breast cancer as the most common type of cancer found in women worldwide. It affects an estimated 500,000 women each year. In the United States and other developed countries, the rates of cervical cancer are much lower; in fact, according to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition, more than 80 percent of all cases of cervical cancer occur in developing countries.

The American Cancer Society estimates that about 12,170 cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2012, and about 4,220 women will die from the disease.

Cervical cancer is a disease in which cancer cells develop in the tissues of the cervix. The cervix, the lower part of the uterus which protrudes into the vagina, connects the body of the uterus to the vagina. Nearly all cases of cervical cancer can be linked to the human papillomavirus, or HPV, a sexually transmitted virus.

There are more than 100 strains of HPV, and at least 15 high-risk types have been linked to cancer of the cervix. While most women who develop cervical cancer have HPV, only a small proportion of women infected with HPV develop cervical cancer. Only persistent HPV infection leads to cervical cancer. Additionally, some low-risk types of HPV cause vaginal and vulvar warts; other HPV strains cause the warts that sometimes develop on the hands or feet.

The normal cervix is a firm muscle that feels much like the tip of your nose. It is reddish pink, and the outside is covered with scale-like cells called squamous cells. The cervical canal is lined with another kind of cell called columnar cells. Tthe area where the two cell type meet—called the squamocolumnar junction or transformation zone (T-zone)—is the most likely area for abnormal cells to develop. The T-zone is more exposed on the cervix of young women (teens through 20s), making them more susceptible to cervical infections.

Health care professionals use the Pap test to find abnormal cell changes in cervical tissue that are cancerous or may become cancerous. The earlier cervical cancer is diagnosed, the better the chance for a cure. The American Cancer Society reports that both incidence and deaths from cervical cancer have declined markedly over the last several decades, due to more frequent detection and treatment of preinvasive and cancerous lesions of the cervix from increased Pap test screening.

Because persistent infection with high-risk strains of HPV can be a predictor of the presence or future development of preinvasive and cervical cancer, many medical professionals now also test for this virus as an adjunct to the Pap test. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved use of an HPV test for screening women ages 30 and older. When combined with a Pap test in women of this age group, the HPV test is better at identifying women at risk for developing cervical cancer than the Pap test alone.Read More