Archive for the 'Cervical Cancer' Category

The cost-effectiveness of vaccination in the United States against human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually-transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer, will be optimized by achieving universal vaccine coverage in young adolescent girls, by targeting initial “catch-up” efforts to vaccinate women younger than 21 years of age, and by revising current screening policies, according to an analysis by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).

In the U.S. in 2007, cervical cancer developed in more than 11,000 women and killed 3,600 women. Cervical cancer is caused by infection with high-risk “oncogenic” types of HPV, also associated with other cancers.

Worldwide, HPV types 16 (HPV-16) and 18 (HPV-18) cause approximately 70% of cervical cancer cases. Vaccines against HPV-16 and HPV-18 appear to be highly efficacious in preventing HPV-16 and HPV-18 infections and cervical disease in females who have not previously been infected with these types.

The quadrivalent vaccine currently licensed in the U.S. also prevents low-risk HPV types 6 and 11 (HPV-6 and HPV-11) infections, which are responsible for most genital warts and juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (JORRP), a rare but severe respiratory condition usually diagnosed in infancy that may be related to a mother’s infection with genital warts.

Bad news for teenage girls: while rates of cervical cancer are going down in women over 25, among 15 to 19-year-olds, rates are rising year on year.

Jillian Birch, at the University of Manchester, UK, and her colleagues examined national cancer incidence data and looked specifically at young people aged 15 to 24.

They noticed that between 1979 and 2003, the incidence of cervical cancer had increased by 1.6% per year. When they examined the data more closely, they found that people aged 15 to 19 were driving that increase, with the rate going up 6.8%, Birch told the Teenage Cancer Trust’s fifth international conference in London today.

Previous studies indicate that most women who get infected with the virus contract it in their teens or early 20s. But while many women are simply able to clear the virus, and others develop a slow-growing cancer decades later, when cervical cancer appears in young women it can develop rapidly.

For more information, visit: NewScientist

The Pap smear test reporting ASCUS (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance) is a major concern in cervical cancer screening.

A Pap test resulting ASCUS refers to a mild abnormality in the cervix.

Most of the Pap-detected mild abnormalities go away without any treatment.

As Pap smear may not clarify the abnormality until cancer has developed, the doctor cannot make sure which abnormality go away and which is more serious (pre-cancer or cancer) for treatment [Cervical cancer treatment].

Fortunately, now there is a test called HPV test, which helps clarify the Pap smear-detected abnormalities and the necessity of treatment. It also provides helpful information that can decide how soon the next Pap test should be and the need of other tests.

HPV Test To Detect The Risk Of Developing Cervical Cancer:

HPV test (Human Papillomavirus Test) is also known as a high-risk HPV test. The HPV test is performed on a sample of cells collected from the cervix.

This test makes use of advanced, automated technology to detect the presence of high risk or oncogenic strains of HPV virus, the primary underlying factor in the development of cervical cancer.

Are you suffering with cervical disorder or cervical cancer?

Cone biopsy is the surgery which will help in removing the tumors which are responsible for cervical disorders.

Cervical cancer is the common problem for most of the women. It mainly shows its effect on your reproductive system.

Cone biopsy is an extensive method of cervical biopsy.

In this method, a piece of tissue which is cylindrical in shape is taken for the diagnosis of the cervical cancer. Small tumors in the cervix can be removed with cone biopsy.

Cone biopsy is generally recommended for two main purposes:

1. It is used to take the thin or thick sample tissues inside the cervix, which is needed for diagnosis of the cervical cancer.
2. It is also used for the treatment of some abnormal tissues or tumors present inside the cervix, which does not need any long term treatment or surgeries to be removed.

Cone biopsy is usually done in either of two given ways:

1. LEEP, loop electrosurgical excision procedure is one of the surgical methods of cone biopsy, in which the tissue is removed with the help of an electric wire, heated with an electric current. In this method of surgery, you will be given only with local anesthesia and it is a quick process which can be done at your physician’s office.

Human papilloma virus is a dangerous infection which can cause cervical caner in women.

The only way to prevent this virus is having HPV test to be done, which can easily determine the presence of HPV virus in your body.

Generally women above 35 years of age are recommended to have HPV test.

How cervical cancer is related to HPV?

Human papilloma virus is a virus which is mainly responsible for the growth of abnormal cells on the surface of cervix.

There are more than 100 different species of HPV virus in which about five strains mainly cause the cervical cancer.

These group of viruses infect your body and causes genital warts. The most common way of identifying the HPV infection is genital warts. These warts can be very small, depending on the severity of the infection.

Mostly these viruses are not active and long enough to cause the infection. On the other hand, if the HPV virus is of high risk type, then it can lead to cervical cancer by developing abnormal cells on the cervix.

Worried about cervical cancer? There are many methods to treat cervical cancer in women.

Cervical cancer treatment mainly depends up on the size of the tumor, stage of the cancer, overall health of the patient and also on the patient’s desire to have children.

For most of you, cancer of cervix mainly corresponds to the change of cells in the cervix which can promote the abnormal growth of tissues or other organs of your body. This abnormal or unwanted growth can be treated by detaching the tissues immediately.

Cervical cancer can begin with abnormal growth of cervical tissue and also cause due to certain other factors. The factors which are responsible for the cancer include; using oral contraceptives, early sexual contact and also due to the infection caused by Human Papilloma virus.

Non-invasive cervical cancer treatment:

There are several methods for the treatment of cervical cancer depending up on the type of tumors present in the cervix. If the tumor is confined to the outer layers of the cervix, then it typically requires the removal of abnormal area of cells which are responsible for the growth.

Cervical dysplasia is also known as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). The term ‘dys’ refers to abnormal and ‘plasia’ refers to growth.

It is a condition where the squamous cells on the surface of the cervix grow abnormally and changes into pre-cancerous cells.

In other words, it refers to the presence of abnormal, pre-cancerous cells on the surface of the cervix, the lower part of the uterus that opens into the vagina.

These changes in the cells of the cervix are categorized as mild (CIN-I), moderate (CIN-II), or severe (CIN-II or carcinoma-in-situ).

There are two types of cervical dysplasia: LGSIL and HGSIL.

The first type of cervical dysplasia is LGSIL. It stands for low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions. Generally, the abnormal cells that are present in low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions will recover on their own and becomes normal within two years.

On the other hand, HGSIL stands for high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions. The abnormal cells in high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions can develop into cervical cancer if left untreated. It usually takes more than ten years to develop into cancer.

Remember that the greater the abnormality of cells, the higher the chances of developing cervical cancer (Cervical Cancer Vaccines) .

Cervical cancer is cancer of the cervix, the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina.

Human Papilloma Virus Types 16 and 18 cause cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is the second largest killer of women among cancers worldwide.

Human Papilloma Virus is a sexual transmitted disease that can spread through sexual intercourse with an infected person.

The other sexual transmitted diseases are syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea and many more.

When you become infected with HPV virus, the healthy cells in your cervix begin to change into abnormal cells, which can develop in the lining of the cervix.

If not discovered early and left untreated, these abnormal cells can become pre-cancerous cells and then turn into cervical cancer.

Although you can detect cervical cancer early with Pap smear (a procedure where scraped cells from the cervix are examined under a microscope) — it still kills nearly 300,000 women per year. Women with certain types of the human papilloma virus (HPV) are vulnerable to developing cervical cancer.

Merck developed a new cervical cancer vaccine, which is recently approved by FDA (Food And Drug Association) to protect you against the virus responsible for cervical cancer - Garadsil.