Cervical cancer is a disease in which cancer cells form in the tissues of a woman's cervix. This eMedTV resource offers an overview of this type of cancer, including information on its causes, risk factors, symptoms, and stages.
As this eMedTV article explains, cervical cancer may be linked to HPV infection, infrequent Pap tests, weakened immune system, and age. Other potential causes of cervical cancer are also discussed in this article.
Of the many risk factors for cervical cancer, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most significant. This eMedTV Web page provides a detailed list of cervical cancer risk factors, such as smoking and sexual history.
In most cases, cervical cancer does not have any early signs or symptoms. This portion of the eMedTV archives discusses the lack of early symptoms of cervical cancer and explains why it is so important to have regular cervical cancer screenings.
As this eMedTV article explains, common symptoms of cervical cancer include abnormal vaginal bleeding and bleeding that occurs between regular menstrual periods. This article takes a closer look at the signs and symptoms of this condition.
The Pap test is the main tool for cervical cancer screening. As this eMedTV segment explains, widespread use of this screening technique has lead to an annual decrease in the number of women who are diagnosed with cervical cancer.
As this eMedTV article explains, a doctor takes a patient's medical history, Pap test results, and other factors into consideration when making a cervical cancer diagnosis. This page describes the process of diagnosing cervical cancer.
To find out how far a woman's cervical cancer has spread, doctors will use a process called staging. As this eMedTV article explains, there are several stages of cervical cancer. This page discusses these different stages in detail.
Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy are some of the treatment options for cervical cancer. This eMedTV page provides an overview of the methods used to treat cervical cancer, as well as other factors to consider during treatment.
The best methods for preventing cervical cancer involve reducing one's risk factors. This eMedTV page discusses cervical cancer prevention, which includes knowing about the risk factors such as HPV infection and smoking cigarettes.
As this eMedTV article explains, cervical cancer research is leading to discoveries about new anticancer drugs, improved methods of radiation therapy, and better quality of life for cancer patients. This page provides an overview of this research.
