Cervical cancer is one of the common cause of deaths among women. It is caused by the virus called human papillomavirus (HPV). This is spread through sexual contact. If the woman's body cannot fight off this virus, this may lead to cancer. Women predisposed to having cervical cancer are those who smoke, with many children, with HIV infection, those who have a history of cancer in the family, and those who have had multiple sexual partners.
There are women who get so scared to go to doctors to get check-ups that they become their own doctors and self-medicate. There are appropriate treatments that are offered by doctors to patients with cervical cancer. These options are radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surgery or a combination of these.
Treatment options would mainly depend on the size of the tumor and whether or not the cancer has spread throughout the body. A woman's need to be pregnant in the future will also be considered before choosing a specific type of treatment. The doctor would be describing the options to the woman, along with its expected results.
One of the surgeries that a cervical cancer patient would have to undergo would be radical trachelectomy. This entails the removal of the cervix, part of the vagina and the lymph nodes in the pelvis. This is one of those surgeries that women would opt for if they want to get pregnant after the surgery. Another type of surgery is radical hysterectomy where the cervix, its tissues, the uterus and the vagina are removed. In total abdominal hysterectomy, the surgeon would remove the whole cervix and the uterus, preventing the chance of growing or spreading out.
Before the treatment is started, it is advised that a woman ask her doctor what changes would have to be made after treatment has been done. There are various side effects when undergoing the total abdominal hysterectomy like becoming depressed. This way, the doctor will be able to help you prepare for these changes. A woman's support system will be very crucial to her recovery to guide her through the changes that she would be experiencing.
There has recently been a vaccine that would help prevent a woman from acquiring cervical cancer. There are 3 shots that need to be completed. Although it is not entirely an assurance that cervical cancer will be prevented, the chance of getting the disease will be lowered.
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