Cervical cancer | |
---|---|
Location of cervical cancer and an example of normal and abnormal cells | |
Pronunciation | |
Specialty | Gynecologic oncology |
Symptoms | Early: none[2] Later: vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain, pain during sexual intercourse[2] |
Usual onset | Over 10 to 20 years[3] |
Types | Squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, others[4] |
Causes | Human papillomavirus infection (HPV)[5][6] |
Risk factors | Smoking, weak immune system, birth control pills, starting sex at a young age, many sexual partners or a partner with many sexual partners[2][4][7] |
Diagnostic method | Cervical screening followed by a biopsy[2] |
Prevention | Regular cervical screening, HPV vaccines, sexual intercourse with condoms,[8][9] sexual abstinence |
Treatment | Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy[2] |
Prognosis | Five-year survival rate: 68% (US) 46% (India)[10] |
Frequency | 604,127 new cases (2020)[11] |
Deaths | 341,831 (2020)[11] |
Cervical cancer staging is the assessment of cervical cancer to determine the extent of the spread of cancer beyond the cervix.[12] This is important for determining how serious the cancer is and to create the best treatment plan.[13]
Cervical cancer is a type of gynecological cancer that begins from cells lining the cervix, the lower part of the uterus.[14] Cervical cancer begins when the cells that line the cervix become abnormal and grow in a pattern that is atypical for non-cancerous cells.[14] Cervical cancer is typically first identified with an abnormal pap smear.[14] The final diagnosis of cervical cancer, including the stage of the cancer, is confirmed with additional testing.[12]
Cancer staging is determined by where the tumor is located, the size of the tumor, and how much the tumor has spread beyond where it originally began, such as to nearby lymph nodes or different parts of the body.[13]
Cancer staging is described on a spectrum from stage 0 to stage IV. Stage 0 describes pre-cancerous or non-invasive types of tumors. Stage IV is used to describe cancers that have spread throughout a significant part of the body. In general, the greater the stage of cancer, the more aggressive the disease and the worse the prognosis.[13]
Cervical cancer staging is described by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO).[12][15] In 2018, FIGO released the most recent guidelines for cervical cancer staging.[16] These guidelines recommend the use of various physical examinations, types of imaging, and biopsies to determine the stage of cervical cancer.[16]