Cervical Cancer
Cervical Cancer: An Overview
A cancer is a growth abnormality that happens with cells. Cells are continually being born, reproducing their replacements and dying out. There are innumerable cells in the human body and there are different types of tissues all over the body. At times there is an anomaly with these growth and death patterns. When the cells start over reproducing, it can transform into cells that start latching into healthy tissue and begin to spread and multiply rapidly, there are many reasons for this happening and almost every part of the body can be affected by cancer. A cancer is normally named after the place where it first starts off, so if a cancer starts at the lungs, but spreads to the liver, it will be treated as a lung cancer and not a liver cancer. The spread of cancer is called metastasis.
Cervical cancer
Also known as the cancer that affect the cervix of the uterus. The uterus is composed of two major parts, the upper and lower parts. The upper part is the body, this is where fetus grows and the lower part is called the cervix, opens into the vagina, the birth canal. Cervical cancer starts at the lining walls of the cervix, cells slowly begin to change and the change is a lot more gradual than most cancers. Cells first transform into pre-cancer cells called dysplasia, this transformation from to full blown cancer can sometimes take years.
Types of cervical cancer
Cancer of the cervix can be categorized in to two major categorized for the most part.
Squamous cell carcinomas: Squamous cells are the uppermost layer of cells. The cancer occuring in this layer of cells are called squamous cell carcinomas.The most common form of cancer to the cervix, it has been found that almost 80% to 90% of all cases are of this type.
Adenocarcinomas: There are a number of mucus cells that line the walls of the cervix and cancers that stem out of them are called adenocarcinomas. It is rare, but there are other forms of cancers that can affect the cervix, of these only adenosquamous is a primary cancer and it exhibits features of both the above mentioned simultaneously.
Prevalence
In 2015 the total number of new cases of cervical cancer reported are expected to be over 12,900. deaths are estimated at around 4,100. Most cervical cancer cases are diagnosed well before they become full blown cancer and most cases are found in women within 50 years of age.
A cancer is a growth abnormality that happens with cells. Cells are continually being born, reproducing their replacements and dying out. There are innumerable cells in the human body and there are different types of tissues all over the body. At times there is an anomaly with these growth and death patterns. When the cells start over reproducing, it can transform into cells that start latching into healthy tissue and begin to spread and multiply rapidly, there are many reasons for this happening and almost every part of the body can be affected by cancer. A cancer is normally named after the place where it first starts off, so if a cancer starts at the lungs, but spreads to the liver, it will be treated as a lung cancer and not a liver cancer. The spread of cancer is called metastasis.
Cervical cancer
Also known as the cancer that affect the cervix of the uterus. The uterus is composed of two major parts, the upper and lower parts. The upper part is the body, this is where fetus grows and the lower part is called the cervix, opens into the vagina, the birth canal. Cervical cancer starts at the lining walls of the cervix, cells slowly begin to change and the change is a lot more gradual than most cancers. Cells first transform into pre-cancer cells called dysplasia, this transformation from to full blown cancer can sometimes take years.
Types of cervical cancer
Cancer of the cervix can be categorized in to two major categorized for the most part.
Squamous cell carcinomas: Squamous cells are the uppermost layer of cells. The cancer occuring in this layer of cells are called squamous cell carcinomas.The most common form of cancer to the cervix, it has been found that almost 80% to 90% of all cases are of this type.
Adenocarcinomas: There are a number of mucus cells that line the walls of the cervix and cancers that stem out of them are called adenocarcinomas. It is rare, but there are other forms of cancers that can affect the cervix, of these only adenosquamous is a primary cancer and it exhibits features of both the above mentioned simultaneously.
Prevalence
In 2015 the total number of new cases of cervical cancer reported are expected to be over 12,900. deaths are estimated at around 4,100. Most cervical cancer cases are diagnosed well before they become full blown cancer and most cases are found in women within 50 years of age.