What Are the Risk Factors for Developing Cervical Cancer?

The most aggressive form of cervical cancer is small cell cervical cancer, which is also called small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. It is a rare and aggressive type of cervical cancer. Its other characteristics are

• It usually affects less than 3 percent of women diagnosed with cervical cancer.
• Cancer develops in cells within the neuroendocrine system in the body, which is a system made up of gland cells and nerve cells. The name “small cell” describes the way that these cancer cells look under the microscope. Usually, they are small with an enlarged nucleus (the part of the cell that contains the genetic material).
• There is some evidence that it may be linked to infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) in some cases. However, it’s not the case every time.
• Small cell cervical cancer can also be found in combination with other more common forms of cervical cancer, such as squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. However, small cell cervical cancer grows faster and is more aggressive than the other types of cervical cancer.

Patients with small cell neuroendocrine cervical cancer have a poor outcome. Their course is frequently characterized by the development of widespread metastasis and reoccurrence. Brain metastases and lung metastases are also seen in this rare type of cancer.

Cervical cancer is usually treated through several methods based on the stage of cervical cancer.

Surgery: 

• If the cancer is only on the surface of the cervix, the doctor may remove or destroy the cancerous cells with procedures, such as loop electrical excision procedure (LEEP) or cold knife conization.
• If cancerous cells have passed through a layer called the basement membrane, which separates the surface of the cervix from the underlying layers, the patient may need invasive surgery.
• If the disease has invaded deeper layers of the cervix but hasn’t spread to other parts of the body, the doctor may recommend surgery to take out the tumor.
• If it has spread into the uterus, the doctor will probably recommend a hysterectomy (removing the entire uterus to decrease the chances of cancer spread).

Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy):

• It uses high-energy rays to damage cancer cells and stop their growth.
• A small capsule containing radioactive material is placed in the cervix. The implant puts cancer-killing rays close to the tumor while sparing most of the healthy tissue around it.

Chemotherapy: 

• It uses powerful drugs to kill cancer cells.
• Doctors often use it for cervical cancer that is locally advanced if the probability of cancer spreading to other parts of the body is high.

Biological therapy or immunotherapy: 

• This targets checkpoints in the immune cells that are turned on or off to set off an immune response.
• A medicine called Keytruda (pembrolizumab) blocks a protein on the cells to shrink tumors or slow their growth.
• Doctors use it if chemo isn’t working or if cancer has begun to spread.