Cervical Cancer and How Sufferers

¶ … cervical cancer and how sufferers deal with them. Cervical cancer is a difficult disease to deal with because often there are no symptoms until it is advanced, requiring surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy.

What are the signs of cervical cancer?

Often, there are no outward signs, other than vaginal bleeding (which can be mistaken for menstruation), pain during intercourse, or discharge. The vaginal bleeding can also occur after a medical exam, after intercourse, or even after douching. Bleeding can be mistaken for a heavier period, too. That is why it is so important to get a pap smear every year, because the test can identify the cancer in the early stages, when it is still treatable. Often, it is not discovered until it is very advanced, and that makes treatment and cure extremely difficult.

Who can get cervical cancer?

Just about any woman can get cervical cancer. The only women who are at a lesser risk are women who have had hysterectomies, or women who have been vaccinated for both the strains of the disease. In the United States, the vaccine most commonly used, the HPV vaccine, is about 70% effective against both strains of the disease. Even if a woman has been vaccinated, she should still seek yearly pap smears, because the vaccine is not effective against some strains of the disease.

Are there some risk factors that can help cause cervical cancer?

There are several risk factors that doctors believe can help lead to cervical cancer. They include a family history of the disease, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, HIV infection, chlamydia infection, smoking, birth-control pills, and multiple pregnancies are all thought to influence who gets the disease and who does not.

How is cervical cancer treated?

In most cases, a full hysterectomy is required, which includes removal of the uterus and the cervix (the organ that connects the uterus to the vagina). If the cancer is confined to this area, that may be the only treatment required. However, if the cancer has spread, there may be additional surgery necessary to remove the organs where it has spread. There may also be chemotherapy or radiation treatments necessary if the cancer has spread. With stage I or II cancers, the overall prognosis for survival is very good. The prognosis of stage III or IV cancer is not as good, but many women do survive even this extreme stage of cancer.

Is there any way to prevent cervical cancer?

First, if you have one or more of the risk factors, such as smoking, you should stop. Next, many researchers believe that diet and exercise can help reduce the chances of getting cervical cancer. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk, and a diet that includes large amounts of vitamins a, C, and E. can help as well. In addition, eating foods rich in folic acid, carotenoids, CoQ10, and fish oil can help prevent the disease, as well. Using condoms during intercourse is also a preventative.