Of the many cancers that seem to have been devised exclusively for the female, half of the population is cervical cancer, an often asymptomatic disease that is the fifth most deadly female cancer. We look at cervical cancer prognosis to understand who has the best chances of survival and successful treatment.

In recent times, the death rate from cervical cancer has come down very significantly, in other words the prognosis is much improved. Statistics show that 71% women with invasive cervical cancer survive for 5 years of more. Cervical cancer prognosis depends upon several different factors:

Cervical Cancer PrognosisDiagnosis of the Cancer

It goes without saying that the earlier the diagnosis, the better the prognosis of cervical cancer, because the better chances a woman has of receiving effective treatment before the cancer has had a chance to grow, to spread and invade more tissue.

Staging of the Cancer

Half of all cervical cancers are diagnosed which still in the first stage of the cancer, when the tumor is still only localized and confined to the cervix. The cervical cancer prognosis in such cases is the best, with over 92% women having a 5 year survival rate for their disease.

In Stage I – the cancer is confined to the cervix and the tumor is no more than 7 millimeter wide.

In Stage II – At this stage of the disease the cancer has spread beyond the cervix but the tumor is about 4 cm in size.

In Stage III – The cancer has spread to the pelvic wall and/or the lower third of the vagina and may also have caused kidney problems.

In Stage IV – The cervical cancer prognosis is poorest in this stage of the disease since the cancer has now spread to the rectum, bladder or other parts of the body even beyond the pelvis. The distant lymph nodes and organs such as the liver, lungs, intestines, bones and abdomen may be involved.

The Histologic Type of Cancer

The type of cervical cancer; whether it is squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, adenosquamous carcinoma, small cell carcinoma, neuroendocine tumor, glassy cell carcinoma or villoglandular carcinoma can determine its prognosis.

General health and age of the woman

These factors also determine what a woman’s cervical cancer prognosis may be because a younger, healthier woman may have a better chance at defeating her disease even if the type of cancer detect in younger women is often the type that spreads rapidly.

The location of the cancer

When the cancer is located in the upper part of the cervix, the prognosis is usually poorer than if the cancer is located in the lower part of the cervix, because detection is generally later with the former type.

Efficacy of Treatment

Cervical cancer prognosis is also determined by how effective and aggressive the treatment that a woman receives is. There is also an indefinable factor that determines how well her system responds to the treatment and how well the body fights back to defeat the cancer, that will establish how good the prognosis is in each case.