Cancer Women’s and Men’s Health

Cancer and Women’s and Men’s Health
Cervical cancer is a kind of cancer that takes place in the cells of the cervix, which is basically situated in the lower part of the uterus that links to the vagina. It is imperative to note that different strains or forms of the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection, have a role to play in giving rise to a great deal of cervical cancer.
Available Preventative Services
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) gives the recommendation of screening for cervical cancer in women between the ages of 21 years to 65 years with pap smear for every three-year period. It is also recommended for women between the ages of 30 and 65 years who wish to prolong the screening period, and therefore screening with a mixture of cytology and human papillomavirus testing for every five-year period. In the same manner, the task force is against the screening for cervical cancer in women that are below the age of 21 years (USPSTF, 2018).
How Factors Selected Might Impact Decisions Associated to Preventive Services
There are different factors that may have an impact on decisions related to preventive services. The factors selected for this paper are age and behavior. In accordance to Cancer.Net (2017), girls that are younger than the age of 15 years old hardly develop cervical cancer. The risk of developing the illness goes up between the late years of teenage hood and mid-30s. In addition, women that are aged 40 yeaars and above continue to be at risk and it is necessary for them to go on having screenings for cervical cancer on a regular basis, which comprise of HPV tests and Pap tests. The second factor is behavior of the individuals. To begin with, women who are regular smokers have twice the likelihood of developing cervical cancer as compared to women who do not smoke. Another behavioral aspect takes into account the use of oral contraceptives, which are birth control pills, being in association with a rise in the risk of cervical cancer. Nonetheless, additional research is required to comprehend the manner in which oral contraceptive use together with the development of cervical cancer are correlated (Cancer.net, 2017).
Drug Treatment Options for Patients Diagnosed with Cervical Cancer
There are treatment options for patients diagnosed with cervical cancer. To begin with, it is imperative for the physician to determine the stage of the cancer, which takes into account the size, if it has spread and whether it also found in other parts of the body. Treatments for cervical cancer comprise of chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and targeted therapy. To begin with, surgery is the fundamental treatment for cervical cancers in their early stages. The most common type of surgery the patient goes through is conization, which is used in the treatment of very small cervical cancers that are yet to spread. There is also hysterectomy, which is a surgical procedure in which the cervix and the uterus are removed. A second form of treatment for cervical cancer is radiation. This procedure makes use of high-energy X-rays to terminate cancer cells and halt any growth. This sort of treatment can be done in two ways including brachytherapy and external beam radiation therapy (American Cancer Society, 2018). The third form of treatment available is chemotherapy. In this case, drugs are utilized to kill or slow down the growth and spread of cancer cells. Lastly, there is targeted therapy treatment. This takes into account the use of drugs that can kill cancer cells but at the same time ensure that healthy cells are spared. A fitting example is Avastin, which is purposed at targeting the proteins that aid in the formation of new blood vessels. Subsequently, this can decelerate the growth of the tumor in cervical cancer that has advanced owing to the reason that tumors necessitate new blood cells for sustenance (WebMD, 2018).
Short-Term and Long-Term Implications of these Treatments
There are short term and long-term implications of these treatments. Some of the short-term implications comprise of fatigue, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, changes in skin and also pain during sexual intercourse. There is also change in women periods, hair loss, loss of appetite and also mouth sores. The long-term implications comprise of failure to have a baby due to the removal of the cervix together with the uterus and also the need to give birth through c-section (WebMD, 2018).



References
Cancer.Net. (2017). Cervical Cancer: Risk Factors. American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Retrieved 26 July, 2018 from: https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/cervical-cancer/risk-factors
WebMD. (2018). What are the Treatments for Cervical Cancer? Retrieved 26 July, 2018 from: https://www.webmd.com/cancer/cervical-cancer/treatments-cervical-cancer#2
American Cancer Society. (2018). Treatment options for cervical cancer, by stage. Retrieved 26 July, 2018 from: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cervical-cancer/treating/by-stage.html
The United States Preventive Services Task Force. (2018). Final Recommendation Statement: Cervical Cancer: Screening. Retrieved 26 July, 2018 from: https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/RecommendationStatementFinal/cervical-cancer-screening