Cervical Cancer (Cervical Cancer) or cervical cancer? Cervical cancer is not a foreign name. Especially for women is the most terrible scourge. Here are 13 facts about cervical cancer that we must know:
1. What is cervical cancer?
Cervical cancer is cancer that occurs in the cervical region. That area on the female reproductive organ which is the entrance to the uterus. It lies between the womb (uterus) with a hole intercourse female (vagina).
99.7% of these cancers are caused by human papilloma virus (HPV) oncogenic, which attacks the cervix. Starting occur in the cervix, when it has entered advanced stages, this cancer can spread to other organs throughout the body.
2. How dangers of cervical cancer?
World Health Organization (WHO) said the current cervical cancer is ranked top among the various types of cancer that causes death in women in the world. In Indonesia, every year more than 15,000 detected cases of cervical cancer.
Approximately 8000 cases of which ended with the death. According to WHO, Indonesia is a country with a number of patients with cervical cancer are highest in the world. Why be so dangerous? Because cervical cancer appear as enemies in a blanket. Difficult to detect until the disease has reached an advanced stage.
3. What is the real cause of this cervical cancer?
First, cervical cancer caused by HPV (Human Papilloma Virus). This virus has more than 100 types, where most of them are harmless and will disappear by itself. HPV virus types that cause cervical cancer and most fatal.Akibatnya is the HPV virus types 16 and 18.
Second, other than caused by HPV, abnormal cells on the cervix can also grow due to radiation exposure or contamination of chemicals that occur in the long term.
4. How can cervical cancer spread?
Transmission of HPV virus can occur through sexual contact, especially with multiple partners. Virus transmission can occur either by transmission through the genital organs to the genital organs, oral to genital or genital to manually.
Therefore, the use of condoms during intercourse is not very influential prevent transmission of HPV virus. For, not only transmitted through the fluid, the virus can move through the touch of skin.
5. Let's identify what are the symptoms of cervical cancer?
In the early stages, the disease causes no symptoms are easily observed. That's why, you who are already sexually active is highly recommended to perform a pap smear test once every two years. Physical symptoms of this disease is generally only felt by people with advanced cancer.
Symptoms of advanced cervical cancer:
- emergence of pain and bleeding during intercourse (contact bleeding).
- Excessive vaginal discharge and abnormal.
- bleeding outside the menstrual cycle.
- drastic weight loss.
- If the cancer has spread to the pelvis, the patient will suffer from back pain complaints
- also barriers in urination, and kidney enlargement.
6. How long this period of growth of cervical cancer?
Preinvasif period (growth of abnormal cells before they become malignant) disease is quite long, so people who managed to detect it early can make a variety of steps to overcome them.
Persistent infection will lead to abnormal cell growth that could eventually lead to cancer development. This development takes between 5-20 years, starting from the stage of infection, pre-cancerous lesions to be positive cervical cancer.
7. Is it true that smokers' risk of contracting cervical cancer?
There are many studies that the relationship between cigarette smoking with increased risk of someone contracting cervical cancer. One is the research conducted at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2001.
According Joakam Dillner, MD, a researcher who led the research, nicotine substances as well as "poison" the other into the blood through the cigarette smoke can increase the likelihood of the condition of cervical neoplasia or abnormal growth of cells in the uterus. "Cervical neoplasia is a precondition of developing cervical cancer in a person's body," he said.
8. In addition to smokers who are at risk for infection?
Women are prone to cervical cancer are those aged between 35-50 years, especially you who have been sexually active before age 16 years. Sexual intercourse at an early age too can increase the risk of cervical cancer by 2 times compared to women who had sexual intercourse after the age of 20 years.
Cervical cancer is also associated with the number of sexual opponent. The more the opposite sex you have, then increasing the risk of cervical cancer. Just like the opposite sex, number of pregnancies that have also experienced increased risk of cervical cancer.
You are infected with the HIV virus and who otherwise have an abnormal pap smear test results, and those with malnutrition, are also at risk for infection with HPV virus. In you are on a strict diet, low consumption of vitamin A, C, and E each day can lead to reduced levels of immunity in the body, so you can easily become infected.
9. How do I detect it?
A Pap smear is the standard examination method to detect cervical cancer or cervical cancer. However, the pap smear is not the only ways you can do to detect this disease. There is also the type of inspection using acetic acid (vinegar).
Using vinegar is acetic acid which is relatively easier and cheaper to do. If you want more accurate results, there is now the latest examination techniques for early detection of cervical cancer, a technology called Hybrid Capture System II (HCII).
10. How to prevent cervical cancer?
Although ranked highest among the various types of cancer that causes death, cervical cancer is the only species that have been known to cause cancer. Therefore, prevention efforts were highly likely to be done. Namely by:
not having sex with a partner who alternated
diligently do the pap smear every two years for those who are already sexually active
and HPV vaccination for those who have never done sexual contact
and of course maintaining a healthy body
11. How important is the use of HPV vaccination?
In mid-2006 has been circulating vaccine against infection with HPV types 16 and 18 that cause cervical cancer. This vaccine works by increasing the body's immune and catch the virus before it enters the cells of the cervix.
In addition to fortify the cervical cancer vaccine is also working to protect women from the threat of multiple HPV types 6 and 11 which cause genital warts. That need to be emphasized is that this vaccine was only effective when given to girls aged 9 to 26 years are not yet sexually active.
The vaccine is given 3 times within a certain timeframe. With vaccination, the risk of cervical cancer could be decreased to 75%. There is good news, starting this year the price of the original vaccine Rp 1,300,000,(140$) - once a syringe to Rp 700,000, -(75$) one injection.
12. Are there any side effects of vaccination?
This vaccine has been tested on thousands of women worldwide. The results showed no harmful side effects. The most common side effects are fever and complained of redness, pain, and swelling at the injection site.
Side effects other frequently encountered are bleeding and itching at the injection site. The vaccine itself is not recommended for pregnant women. However, nursing mothers should receive this vaccine.
13. Can cervical cancer be cured?
Since not complain about any symptoms, cervical cancer patients usually come to the hospital when the disease has reached stage 3. The problem, cervical cancer has reached stage 2 to stage 4 have resulted in damage to body organs, such as bladder, kidney, and others.
Therefore, surgical removal of the uterus alone is not enough to make the patient recover as usual. In addition to surgery, patients still need to obtain additional erapi, such as radiation and chemotherapy. The move though can not guarantee 100% of patients experienced healing.
