Cervical Cancer
(Cancer of the Cervix)
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Who Should Get the HPV Vaccine?
Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection of the cervix can lead to cervical cancer. A vaccine designed to prevent cervical cancer and other diseases caused by infection with HPVs was approved for use in the U.S. in June 2006. This is the first vaccine to be developed against a known risk factor for the development of a cancer.
While some HPV types infect the skin and cause benign warts and other lesions, about 40 types of HPVs can infect the genital tract. Genital HPV infection is very common in the general population; estimates suggest that up to 50% of all sexually active people will be infected at some point in their lives. In the majority of cases, the infection does not cause any symptoms, but in some women, HPV infection can progress to cause precancerous and cancerous lesions of the uterine cervix. HPVs that infect the genital area are also associated with other less common genital cancers in men and women such as cancers of the anus, vagina, penis, and vulva. HPV infection also causes genital warts in men and women.
The most common HPV types that infect the genital area are HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18. Among these, HPV types 6 and 11 are most commonly associated with benign lesions, such as genital warts and mild precancerous changes of the cervix. In contrast, HPV types 16 and 18 are the types found in the majority of cancers as well as in severe precancerous changes of the cervix. The vaccine, called Gardasil, targets these four common HPV types.
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What is the cervix?
The cervix is part of a woman's reproductive system. It is the lower,
narrow part of the uterus (womb). The uterus is a hollow, pear-shaped
organ in the lower abdomen. The cervix connects the uterus to the
vagina. The vagina leads to the outside of the body.
The cervical canal is a passageway. Blood flows from the uterus through the
canal into the vagina during a woman's menstrual period. The cervix also
produces mucus. The mucus helps sperm move from the vagina into the uterus.
During pregnancy, the cervix is tightly closed to help keep the baby inside the
uterus. During childbirth, the cervix dilates (opens) to allow the baby to pass
through the vagina.
What is cancer?
Cancer begins in cells, the building blocks that make up tissues. Tissues
make up the organs of the body.
Normally, cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them.
When cells grow old, they die, and new cells take their place.
Sometimes, this orderly process goes wrong. New cells form when the body does
not need them, and old cells do not die when they should. These extra cells can
form a mass of tissue called a growth or tumor.
Tumors can be benign or malignant:
- Benign tumors are not
cancer:
- Benign tumors are rarely life-threatening.
- Generally, benign tumors can be removed, and they
usually do not grow back.
- Cells from benign tumors do not invade the tissues
around them.
- Cells from benign tumors do not spread to other parts
of the body.
- Polyps, cysts, and genital warts
are types of benign growths on the cervix.
- Malignant tumors are
cancer:
- Malignant tumors are generally more serious than
benign tumors. They may be life-threatening.
- Malignant tumors often can be removed. But sometimes
they grow back.
- Cells from malignant tumors can invade and damage
nearby tissues and organs.
- Cells from malignant tumors can spread
(metastasize) to other
parts of the body. Cancer cells spread by breaking away from the original
(primary) tumor and entering the bloodstream or lymphatic system. The cells invade other organs and form new tumors that damage these organs. The spread of cancer is called
metastasis.
When cancer spreads from its original place to another part of the body,
the new tumor has the same kind of abnormal cells and the same name as the
primary tumor. For example, if cervical cancer spreads to the lungs, the
cancer cells in the lungs are actually cervical cancer cells. The disease is
metastatic cervical cancer, not lung cancer. For that reason, it is treated
as cervical cancer, not lung cancer. Doctors call the new tumor "distant" or
metastatic disease.
Next: What are the risk factors and causes of
cervical cancer? »
- Gardasil (HPV Vaccine) - Gardasil HPV vaccine (recombinant human papillomavirus quadrivalent vaccine) drug class, prescription, injection, preparation, storage, dosage, drug interaction, pregnancy and nursing, and side effects information.
- CT Scan (Computerized Axial Tomography) - CT Scan (Computerized Axial Tomography, CAT scan) is a procedure that assists in diagnosing tumors, fractures, bony structures, and infections in the organs and tissues of the body.
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Women (STDs) - Learn and become aware of common STDs in women, including descriptions, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments of each type of infection.
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Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Women (STDs) »
What are sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)?
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are infections that can be
transferred from one person to another through any type of sexual contact. STDs
are sometimes referred to as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) since they
involve the transmission of a disease-causing organism from one person to
another during sexual activity. It is important to realize that sexual contact
includes more than just sexual intercourse (vaginal and anal). Sexual contact
includes kissing, oral-genital contact, and the use of sexual "toys," such as
vibrators. STDs probably have been around for thousands of years, but the most
dangerous of these conditions, the
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), has only been recognized since
1984.
Many STDs are treatable, but effective cures are lacking
for others, such as HIV, HPV, and hepatitis B and C. Even gonorrhea, once easily
cured, has become resistant to many of the o...
Read the Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Women (STDs) article »
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