2. WHAT IS CERVICAL CANCER?
“Cervical cancer occurs when the cells
in the cervix begin to grow and
replicate in an abnormal and
uncontrolled way. When this happens,
the body cannot organize these cells
for normal function and the cells form
a mass that is called a tumor.
Malignant tumors in the cervix can
spread to other parts of the body,
crowding and destroying normal cells.”
- WHO
3. WHAT ARE SOME CAUSES OF CERVICAL
CANCER?
• MOST CERVICAL IS A RESULT OF HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV)
• PEOPLE WO HAVE WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEM
• PROLONGED USE OF BIRTH CONTROL PILLS
• AMOUNT OF CHILDREN
• SMOKING CIGARETTES
• SKIPPING YOUR PAP TEST
4. WHO IS AFFECTED BY CERVICAL CANCER
• WOMAN WHO ARE SEXUALLY ACTIVE
• MOSTLY WOMEN OVER THE AGE OF 30
• THERE IS AN INCREASED RISK IF SOMEONE IN YOUR FAMILY HAD CERVICAL
CANCER
• PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT EDUCATED ON WHAT CERVICAL CANCER IS
• AMOUNT OF SEXUAL PARTNERS
• SMOKERS
• UNHEALTHY DIET
5. RED FLAGS TO BE ALERTED BY
• IF YOU EXPERIENCE ABNORMAL BLEEDING DURING INTERCOURSE
• DISCOMFORT DURING INTERCOURSE
• BLEEDING IN BETWEEN YOUR MENSTRUAL CYCLE
• SOMETIMES VAGINAL DISCHARGE
• THESE MAY NOT BE A CAUSE OF CERVICAL CANCER, BUT IT SHOULD CONCERN YOUR
DOCTOR **
6. WHAT CAN I DO TO PREVENT CERVICAL
CANCER
• DECREASE SEXUAL PARTNERS
• GET PAP TEST EVERY YEAR UNTIL DOCTOR TELLS YOU THAT YOU CAN VISIT EVERY THREE YEARS BECAUSE EVERYTHING
LOOKS NORMAL
• STOP SMOKING - CAN CAUSE MANY OTHER KINDS OF CANCERS INCLUDING LUNG CANCER
• DON'T BECOME RELIANT ON THE BIRTH CONTROL PILL LONGER THAN NECESSARY - MAKE TEMPORARY AND NOT
PERMANENT SOLUTION
• DELAY SEX UNTIL OLDER
• USE CONDOMS
• AVOID SOMEONE WHO HAS HAD MANY SEXUAL PARTNERS
• GET THE HPV VACCINE
• GET YOUR PAP TEST
• ESSENTIALLY AVOID GETTING HPV
7. WHAT ARE THE STAGES OF CERVICAL
CANCER?
• STAGE 0
• CARCINOMA IN SITU - ABNORMAL CELLS ARE FOUND IN THE LINING OF THE CERVIX
• THESE MAY BECOME CANCEROUS AND SPREAD TO NEARBY TISSUES
• STAGE 1 (FOUR STAGES)
• THE CANCER CELLS HAVE GROWN FROM THE SURFACE LAYER OF THE CERVIX INTO DEEPER TISSUES OF THE CERVIX.
THE CANCER MAY ALSO BE GROWING INTO THE BODY OF THE UTERUS, BUT IT HAS NOT GROWN OUTSIDE THE
UTERUS.
• STAGE 2 (THREE STAGES )
• THE CANCER HAS GROWN BEYOND THE CERVIX AND UTERUS, BUT HASN'T SPREAD TO THE WALLS OF THE
PELVIS OR THE LOWER PART OF THE VAGINA. THE CANCER MAY HAVE GROWN INTO THE UPPER PART OF THE
VAGINA
• STAGE 3 (TWO STAGES)
• THE CANCER HAS SPREAD TO THE LOWER PART OF THE VAGINA OR THE WALLS OF THE PELVIS. THE CANCER MAY BE
BLOCKING THE URETERS (TUBES THAT CARRY URINE FROM THE KIDNEYS TO THE BLADDER).
• STAGE 4 (TWO STAGES)
• THE CANCER HAS SPREAD TO THE BLADDER OR RECTUM OR IT IS GROWING OUT OF THE PELVIS
8. CAN CERVICAL CANCER BE TREATED? HOW?
• SURGERY
• CONIZATION
• HYSTERECTOMY
• RADIATION THERAPY
• CHEMOTHERAPY
• TARGET THERAPY
* TWO HEALTH FACTORS THAT CAN
AFFECT DECISION MAKING WHEN IT IS
TIME FOR TREATMENT ARE EMOTIONAL
AND PHYSICAL HEALTH.
9. STATISTICS
• 2012
• NEW CASES: 12, 170
• DEATHS: 4, 220
• 2015
• WILL BE APPROXIMATELY 12, 900 NEW CASE
• APPROXIMATELY 4, 100 WILL DIE
• MOST CASES ARE IN WOMEN YOUNGER THAN 50
• 15% OF WOMEN OVER 65 HAS CERVICAL CANCER
10. RESEARCH
CURRENTLY DOCTORS ARE SEEKING NEW WAYS TO
APPROACH CERVICAL CANCER
• IMMUNOTHERAPY
• FLUORESCENT SPECTROSCOPY
• HPV VACCINE
• FERTILITY PRESERVATION THERAPY
11. TIPS
• IF YOU ARE SEXUALLY ACTIVE, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU GET A PAP SMEAR AT
LEAST ONCE A YEAR
• IF YOU ARE SEXUALLY ACTIVE AND HAVE NOT YET GOTTEN THE GARDASIL
VACCINE, GET IT DONE
• IF YOU HAVE HAD HUMAN PAPILOMAVIRUS BEFORE, YOU STILL NEED TO GET THE
VACCINE IN ORDER TO REDUCE YOUR RISK OF CERVICAL CANCER
• IF YOU DID NOT FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDED TIME FRAME FOR THE SHOTS,
STILL FINISH THE SECQUENCE
