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- Cervical Cancer - Cervical cancer develops in the lining of the cervix, the lower part of the uterus (womb) that enters the vagina (birth canal). This condition usually develops over time. Normal cervical cells may gradually undergo changes to become precancerous and then cancerous. Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is the term used to describe these abnormal changes. CIN is classified according to the degree of cell abnormality. Low-grade CIN indicates a minimal change in the cells and high-grade CIN indicates a greater degree of abnormality.
CIN may progress to squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL; condition that precedes cervical cancer) or to carcinoma in situ (cancer that does not extend beyond the epithelial membrane). SIL is also classified as low-grade or high-grade. High-grade SIL and carcinoma in situ may progress to invasive carcinoma (cancer that has spread to healthy tissue).
- Cervical Cancers and HPV - Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are a group of more than 100 types of viruses. They are called papillomaviruses because certain types may cause warts, or papillomas, which are benign (noncancerous) tumors. The HPVs that cause the common warts which grow on hands and feet are different from those that cause growths in the mouth and genital area. Some types of HPVs are associated with certain types of cancer.
Of the more than 100 types of HPVs, over 30 types can be passed from one person to another through sexual contact. HPV infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Some types of HPVs may cause warts to appear on or around the genitals or anus. Genital warts (technically known as condylomata acuminatum) are most commonly associated with two HPV types, numbers 6 and 11. Warts may appear within several weeks after sexual contact with a person who has HPV, or they may take months or years to appear; or they may never appear. HPVs may also cause flat, abnormal growths in the genital area and on the cervix (the lower part of the uterus that extends into the vagina). HPV infections often do not cause any symptoms.
- Cervical Cancer - Symptoms - Cervical cancer is cancer of the cervix -- the opening of the uterus, extending into the upper end of the vagina. Cervical cancer was once one of the most common causes of cancer death for American women.
With the advent of widespread screening by a vaginal smear test developed by George Papanicolaou in the 1950s (commonly known as the "Pap smear"), the number of deaths from cervical cancer has dramatically fallen -- from more than 35,000 per year to fewer than 5,000 per year today -- attesting to its utility as a screening test. Even with the Pap smear, the American Cancer Society estimates that there are approximately 13,000 new cases of invasive cervical cancer diagnosed in the United States each year.
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Copyright © 1996- by Health Science Report™ for the following:
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