<p><strong><em>Cervical cancer</em> </strong>represents an abnormal development of cervix cells. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus that communicates with the vagina. The cervical cancer is the second most common disease in the world that affects million of women all over the world.
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<p><strong><em>UTI</em></strong> or <strong>urinary tract infection</strong> - the urinary tract represents the body's filtering system that has the role of removing liquid wastes. Different types of bacteria, may invade the urinary tract and multiply resulting in an infection. Women are especially susceptible to urinary tract infection because their urethral opening is near the source of bacteria. The risk of contacting a UTI increases to women who are newly sexually active or to women who have a new intimate partner.

<p>The <strong>causes</strong> of the urinary tract infection are:
<li>the urethra is shorter on women and the bacteria travels more easily;
<li>if the bladder is not emptied completely;
<li>diabetic and pregnant women are more susceptible to develop this affection;
<li>the presence of stones or tumor in the urinary tract;
<li> urinary catheters and nephrostomy tubes may also cause urinary tract infection.
<p>The most common symptom of urinary tract infection is the frequent and strong urge to urinate without any delay, frequently accompanied by burning sensation during urination. Bladder infection has stronger symptoms manifested with back pain and fever. Often the UTI manifests on women like a pressure above the pubic bone, and on men like a sensation of fullness in the rectum.

<p>The urinary tract infection may also have the fallowing <strong>symptoms</strong>:
<li>the unpleasant sensation of urinating without being able to do so;
<li>the urine has a cloudy color and unpleasant smell;
<li> the urine may contain blood;
<li>unpleasant urinary incontinence;
<li>pain on sides below the ribs.
<p>The <strong>treatment</strong> of UTI include antibiotics, but the type and the duration of the treatment depends on the type of bacteria that caused the infection. After the treatment is finished is recommended to do a urine test, to see if the bacteria disappeared.
<p>The more severe cases of UTI caused by ladder outlet obstructions may necessitate surgery. Before this type of surgical intervention the patient should not drink coffee, alcohol or smoke, drinking plenty of water and fluids is strongly recommended.
<p>Doctors advise people to wash their rectum, vagina and the area between daily. After a bowel movement or urination wipe correctly the area from front to back. Not to resist the urge to urinate. To avoid using cosmetic products like bubble gel and scented feminine products, because it may irritate the urethra.
<p>The women reproductive system may be affected by many and various infections and diseases such as: yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, ovarian cysts, chronic pelvic pain, fibroids, <em>cervical cancer and UTI</em>.
<p>Some of these issues that threaten the reproductive health are mild and may be treated easily, unfortunately the diseases that threaten the reproductive health of women may have severe consequences on women and may cause even death.
<p>The best way to treat any of these reproductive health problems is to prevent and the best way to do so is by having a healthy lifestyle and doing regular medical check ups.

Cancers are caused by the exposing to viruses, natural or chemical substances and radiations. All these factors have as effect the inducing of mutations or inadequate manifestations of different genes called “oncogene”, which are involved in the cell’s proliferation, in their differentiation and in the adjustment of these phenomena. The oncogenes are normally under the control of the inhibitor genes, of the anti-oncogenes which can be lost or can suffer their-selves a mutation under the action of these agents of risk (in this case their activity is reduced). But these anti-oncogenes can miss in a hereditary way, a fact which explains, in a great measure, the existence of familial predisposition to cancers.
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How does the cervical cancer appear?

The cervical cancer is provoked by cellular anomalies which appear at the level of the uterine tube. At the beginning, the cellular excrescences happen at the level of the cervix, and this occurs because that the zone is accessible to some cyclic constant modifications, dependant on the term. Within this physiological process, there are chances that the cells resulted this way could suffer mutations, encouraging this way the appearance of the cells which are abnormally developed.

What are the cervical cancer causes?

Cervical cancer has many possible causes, such as:

- the treatment with medicines which contain diethylstilbestrol; the cancerous role of the hormones was discovered after the appearance of cervical cancer to little girls born by women who got diethylstilbestrol (estrogen) in the first three months of pregnancy.

- besides the hormones, the medicines that induce a rise of cancer risk are the immunosuppressive medicines, anti-cancerous medicines and the arsenic derivatives.

- administration of oral contraceptives (this thing depends on the doses taken and on the time period of administration).

- the familial predisposition. The members of a family where a person is affected by cervical cancer, present a risk (to be infected by the same cancer) twice or four times bigger than others families (where all the members are healthy). This raise of risk is, yet little and it can be probably explained by a mechanism which depends on more genes, dragging along a predisposition (there are added the risks from the environmental factors).

- chronic infection with Chlamydia, which is a type of intracellular bacteria and it has bacterial characteristics (synthetizes AND – deoxyribonucleic acid and RNA – ribonucleic acid, presents cellular wall, it is reproduced by cellular division, it is sensitive to antibiotics like cyclins) and characteristics of a virus (the energy needed by its own metabolism is given by host cells).

- infection with retroviruses HIV – Human Immunodeficiency Virus (AIDS) and HTLV – Human T-lymphotropic virus (leukemia); these retroviruses seem to have an oncogenical potentiality.

Another cervical cancer causes can be smoking and multiple pregnancies.

The most important risk factor is the infection with HPV (Human Papilloma Virus). This virus increases a lot the appearance of cancer. There are identified over 80 stems of HPV, from which type 16 and 18 are responsible of cervical cancer’s appearance in proportion of 70%. Scientific studies show that not all the women who are infected by this virus are suffering by cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer histopathological confirmed is divided in stages. Cervical cancer staging represents the group assignment of situations that have the same severity, the same prognostic and similar treatment.

The IFGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) staging system is based more on clinical examination than intra-operator examination. This staging allows the use of the following diagnostic tests: a compelling clinical examination, which includes inspection, palpation, colposcopy, hysteroscopy, cystoscopy, proctoscopy, pulmonary radiography, skeleton radiography; colposcopic biopsy of the uterine tube; conization; histology (microscopically examination of the biopsy piece); optional tests, effectuated by case: echography, computer tomography, nuclear magnetic resonance, lymphangiography, laparoscopy, needle aspiration.

Cancer of the uterine tube (cervical cancer) is staged conforming to TNM (tumour, lymphatic nodules, metastasis) staging system, which is the same as IFGO staging system.

Stage I covers the diseases which are limited to the uterus (and have the best prognostic), stage II and III cover the tumours which are extended into the pelvis, outside the uterus and stage IV includes the cancers which invade the urinary bladder or the rectum and those which have metastasis at distance.

During the cervical cancer stage III the pains become more persistent and violent, the bleedings are intensified and anemia appears, too. In this case, the tumour takes possession of the whole vagina.

Cervical cancer stage III is divided into two categories: stage III-A and stage III-B. In the case of stage III-A the cervical cancer infests the third part of the inferior vagina, but it does not reach the tissues of the pelvis. If we are dealing with stage III-B of the cervical cancer we can speak about the malign cells which are diffused into the tissue of the pelvis and, sometimes, the cancerous formation gets as big as it can block the ducts which make the connection between urinary bladder and the kidneys. If the blocking happens, it can lead to the growing of the kidney or it may even lead to the interruption of kidney’s activity. It can also take place the fact that the malign cells infest the lymphatic nodules which are inside of the pelvis.

In the missing of a proper treatment the cervical cancer can be extended to vagina’s level and after that, can reach the tissues around the uterus. The lymphatic ganglia and the rest of pelvic organs are affected along the tumour’s progression. In the advanced stadium of the disease (along with the appearance of metastasis at distance) can appear the renal affection, the intestinal and pulmonary infection and the infestation of the liver.

A good treatment for cervical cancer stage III is chemotherapy (it can be administrated in the same time with radiotherapy and it is called chemo-radiotherapy). This method makes better the survival rate in stage III without provoking any major secondary effects.

For the cases which are surgical treated, the information obtained from the pathologist after the surgery can be used in establishing the separated pathological stages, which cannot replace the initial clinical staging (the one made before the surgery).

Cervical cancer is a malign tumour with a high level frequency that infests women, no matter how old they are. It is evaluated that 30% of cancers which affect female gander are localized at the genital organ level. Recent statistics show that, on global plan, cancer is extending with 500.000 women by year, from which 250.000 lose their life.

For internal use, the most frequent herbal medicine for cervical cancer contains:

- infusion of toad pipe (2 spoons of fresh and powdered flowers for 500 ml boiled water); it is covered infused 20 minutes, filtered and drank the whole quantity of warm tea divided in 4-5 rounds per day.

- infusion of a scoop of powdered, dried and pulverized horse tail for 200 ml of boiled water, it is let to infuse 20 minutes and after the filtering you should drink 2 cans a day, one in the morning and the other one in the evening.

-  infusion of two scoops of black poplar sprouts for 200 ml of boiled water; is it let 15 minutes to infuse , you filter it and drink 2 or 3 cans a day, having a secretion similar with bee’s propolis.

- decoction of one scoop of comfrey roots for 250 ml of cold water; you boil it 20-30 minutes, it is let to infuse 15 minutes, it is filtered and drank in proportion of 4 cans a day, having the role of stopping the growing of tumours.

- infusion of admixture of equal parts from English marigold, Geranium robertianum, comfrey and meadow clover, which has good results on the women who made radiotherapy.

- infusion of admixture of 40 grams of toad pipe, English marigold flowers, fresh nettle leafs and Alchemilla vulgaris herba; it is taken one scoop of admixture for 250 ml of boiled water, it is let 5 minutes to infused covered, it is filtered and you have to consume 3 cans a day and you can add a scoop of Swedish bitter or 4-5 drops of shamrock juice.

- infusion of admixture of equal parts from English marigold, Alchemilla vulgaris, toad pipe, Geranium robertianum, shepherd’s purse and Angelica; it is used one scoop for 200 ml of boiled water, after 5 minutes of infusion it is filtered and you have to drink 3 cans a day and add 1-2 scoops of Swedish bitter to one can; in an other receipt the shepherd’s purse and the Angelica can be replaced with comfrey and fresh nettle.

- infusion of admixture of equal parts from English marigold, Alchemilla vulgaris, black poplar sprouts, toad pipe, bedstraws, shepherd’s purse, black current; you may drink 2-3 cans a day.

- maceration extract from raspberry and black current; the treatment lasts 3 months (100 drops per day), you take a break of 2-3 weeks and after that you can continue the same treatment.

Fitotherapeutical treatments have the role of lengthen the life by refreshing the imunitary system and stimulation of fight reactions against the disease. Herbal medicine for cervical cancer is like an operation without bistoury; even if it provokes intermediary disturbances, the herbal preparations eliminate the sectioning of some main stems and also the danger of septicemia and intestinal occlusion.

Cervical cancer is caused by the cellular anomalies which appear inside the uterine tube. Most of the precancerous cells appear at the cervix level, a zone which suffers constantly periodic modifications (dependent on the terms). During this physiologic process, the cervical cells can suffer different mutations, favoring the appearance of abnormal calls, especially in case of infection with human virus Papiloma (it is a virus with sexual transmission which provokes injuries at the uterine tube’s level and it is considered a big risk for cervical cancer appearance).There are two types of cervical cancer: cervical Aden carcinoma and cervical cancer with foam cells (epidermoid).
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The cells which tapestried the cervix suffer, usually, easy to severe modifications until they become cancerous. These pre-cancerous modifications represent the dysplasia. There are three types if this disease: easy cervical dysplasia, moderate cervical dysplasia and severe cervical dysplasia. Itself, cervical dysplasia is not grave, but it is considered a precancerous phase. If it is not treated, dysplasia may lead to o precocious phase of cancer, also called “carcinoma in situ” and after that it may progress to cervical cancer. The evolution of cervical dysplasia to cancer is made slowly, in a period of 10 years or even more than that.

The symptoms of cervical cancer are not noticeable in the first phase. The cellular modifications inside the cervix are usually not symptomatic, in this incipient stadium the diagnostic is realized basing the result of the Papanicolau test.

Along with the development of the cancerous process other symptoms appear: abnormal vaginal bleeding or terms modifications (menometroragies); cervix bleeding during the sexual contact or in the moment of diaphragm insertion; the feeling of pain during the sexual contact (dispareuny); abnormal vaginal secretion in big quantities and sometimes mixed with thin motes of blood; unjustified tiredness condition. There can even appear fractures.

Advanced cervical cancer has the following symptoms: anemia caused by abnormal loses of blood; pelvic pain (the inferior side of the abdomen), inferior member’s pain or lumbar pain; vaginal fistula (abnormal communication between vagina and rectum, meaning the urinary bladder, so the excrements and the urine are eliminated by vagina) - the fistula appears due to extension of the cancerous process at the level of tissues around); losing weight (more kilograms in some weeks, months).



As we know, it is by far easier to prevent a sickness than to cure it. A lot of human lives can be saved there are respected several simple things: carrying a healthy life (having a diet poor in meet and rich in fruits and vegetables, daily consummation of 2 liters of good and clean water, respecting the resting hours), making sport every day, periodical prosecution of tests (even if we do not have the symptoms of cervical cancer) in order to track down the disease (Babes-Papanicolau and other) – which must begin at maxim 2 or 3 years from the first sexual contact (but not later than 21 years), having the first sexual contact at a proper age and finding a stabile sex partner.

There is a multitude of treatment options for women suffering of cervical cancer. Some treatments are standard (frequently used) and some of them are still tested in clinical studies. Before beginning a treatment, women can consider the possibility of participating in a clinical trial. A cure included into a clinical trial represents a research study which has the purpose to help the improvement of the standard treatments or to obtain information about the new inlaid treatments in the cancer therapy. When a clinical trial proves that a new treatment is better than a standard cure, than the new method can become a standard one.
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Choosing of the more appropriate cervical cancer treatment is a decision that usually involves the patients, their family and the team of doctors.

There are used three types of standard cervical cancer cures: the surgical treatment, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

The surgical treatment is sometimes curative. There are practiced the following surgical procedures: conical biopsy, total hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, radical hysterectomy, pelvic exenteration, cryosurgery, laser vaporization.

Radiotherapy is a cancer treatment which uses Roentgen rays with big energy or another type of rays to destroy the malign cells. There are two types of radiotherapy: the external radiotherapy uses a device which is sending radiations to the cancer; the internal radiotherapy uses a radioactive substance contained in spikes, radiant seeds and wires which are placed right into the cancer or near to it. The irradiation method depends on the type and the stadium of the disease.

Chemotherapy is a cancer cure method which uses pharmaceutical substances to stop the growing of the malign cells. When the chemotherapy is made per bone or by injection in vena or muscle, the substances get in the sanguine circulation and gets to the malign cells from the organism (systematic chemotherapy). When the chemotherapy is made directly into the spinal cord, into an organ or a cavity, the substance affects in the first place the malign cells from the specific zones (regional chemotherapy).

The cervical cancer cures option can be made depending on the cancer’s stage. For stage zero the treatment can include the following procedures: laser surgery, conical biopsy, cryosurgery, total hysterectomy (for women who cannot or don’t want to have babies), internal radiotherapy (for women who don’t support a surgical intervention). The cure for stage I-A can be made of: total hysterectomy with or without bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, conical biopsy, radical hysterectomy and extraction of lymphatic nodules, internal radiotherapy. Stage I-B can be cured by: radiotherapy and chemotherapy, a combination between internal and external radiotherapy, radical hysterectomy and extraction of lymphatic nodules followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Treatment for stage II-A is composed by: radiotherapy and chemotherapy, internal radiotherapy combined with external radiotherapy, radical hysterectomy and removal of lymphatic nodules (followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy). The cure for stages II-B, III and IV-A may include internal and external radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy. Stage IV-B can contain the following procedures: radiotherapy (as palliative treatment) to ameliorate the cancer symptoms and for improving the quality of life, chemotherapy.

The treatment of recurrent cancer may involve pelvic exenteration followed by radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy or chemotherapy (as palliative cure) – applied for amelioration of semeiology and for betterment of life quality.

The cervical cancer cures during the pregnancy depend on the disease’s stage and on the gestation’s phase. In case of cancer in precocious stadiums or in case of cancer discovered in the last trimester of pregnancy, the treatment can be delayed until the mother gives birth to her child.

Cervical cancer is a disease that involves the transformation of normal cells into malign cells (in the cervical texture). The cervix is the lowest and the narrowest part of the uterus. The uterus is an organ situated in the pelvic cavity, having the shape of a pear and in which the foetus incubates. The connection between uterus and vagina is made by the cervix.
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After the cancer is tracked down, some investigations must be performed in order to find out if the cancerous cells are diffused into the cervix or into another part of the body. The information gathered after the investigation decides the stadium of the disease. There are five cervical cancer stages: stage zero, first stage, second stage, third stage and fourth stage.

Stage zero is also called “carcinoma in situ” – the tumour’s cells are detected only in the first cellular stratum of the cervix and they did not reach the profound stratums.

The first stage is limited only by the cervix and it is divided in two stages I-A and I-B, based on the quantity of the malign texture. For the stage I-A we can find in the cervix only o very little part of cancerous texture that can be microscopically observed.  The cancer doesn’t invade the texture more than 5 millimeters in depth and 7 millimeters in surface. For the stage I-B the cancer is localized and it can be only microscopically observed and it is deeper than 5 millimeters and more diffused than 7 millimeters (in surface) or it can be observed without using a microscope and it can be larger than 4 centimeters.

In the case of the second stage, the disease is diffused outside the cervix, but not in the texture of the pelvis. This stage is split into another two stages: stage II-A (the cancer diffuses outside the cervix until it reaches two superior thirds of the vagina, but not the texture of the uterus) and stage II-B (the tumour diffuses outside the cervix until it reaches two superior thirds of the vagina and the texture around the uterus).



In the third stage the illness infests the inferior third of the vagina and it can infest the texture of the pelvis and the lymphatic nodules around. Again, we have stage III-A (the cancer infested the inferior third of the vagina, but not the texture of the pelvis) and stage III-B (the malign cells are diffused into the texture of the pelvis and/or the cancerous formation is as big as it can block the ducts that make the connection between kidneys and the urinary bladder; this blockings may lead to the growth of the kidneys or even to the interruption of their activity; the malign cells can infest the lymphatic nodules from the pelvis).

During the fourth stage the cancer infests the urinary bladder, the rectum or other parts of the human body. We have also stage IV-A (the illness infested the urinary bladder or the texture of the rectum or the lymphatic nodules) and stage IV-B (the tumour diffused outside de pelvis and the lymphatic nodules into another parts of the body, like the abdomen, the liver, the intestinal tract or the lungs).

For a person who has this tumour it is useful to investigate the cervical cancer stages because it is very important to establish the cancer’s stadium for the planning of the correct treatment.

Papiloma human virus (HPV), that causes many skin and mucous diseases, is
considered the number 1 agent that is transmitted sexually and is responsible for cervical cancer.
Currently, American researchers have shown that another infectious agent may increase the risk of cervical cancer - Chlamidia.
Cervical cancer prevention is by vaccination, protecting it against 4 types of HPV. Vaccination must be done at younger ages, between 9 and 26 years, having as target 11-13 years girls. As the researchers argue, the vaccine has the power to eradicate at least the virtual presence of a virus that causes the appearance of cancer and because of whom dies approximately 250,000 women worldwide annually.
PAP test is the standard in cervical cancer diagnosis for many years and still remains in position. This is done by microscopic observation of the cervical cell abnormalities that can lead to cancer.
Results from recent years have led to changes in frequency of performing PAP test: women over 30 years and who have normal PAP test at least 3 years should repeat it only once in 2-3 years and women aged over 70 years who have had 3 normal PAP tests, without any anomaly in the last 10 years and without risk of cervical cancer may opt out screening.

Like PAP test, HPV test tries to identify people with cervical cancer in early stages with the help of cervix cells by identifying HPV genetic material that can lead to cancer.

Currently HPV test is done according to the uncertain outcome of the PAP test.
Early detection - detection of cervical cancer involves making a cervicovaginal smear. At the beginning of sexual life are recommended every two frotiuri a year and a smear at about 3 years until the age of 65 years, the frequency can be increased for women who present a risk. This screening is particularly important as, if it can be treated from the beginning or this type of cancer heal in almost all cases.

Cervical cancer diagnosed in an early stage can be completely treated. Types of treatment used for cervical cancer are:
- Surgical therapy, which removes tumor
- Radiation, used in the treatment of other organs affected by tumor
- Chemotherapy, used in the treatment of metastasis

Choice of treatment has a major impact on quality of life. It is therefore important that patients discuss with the doctor all therapeutic options and recommendations regarding treatment.
Cervical cancer diagnosis cancer depends on the type and stage. For choosing appropriate treatment is taken into account age, general health, quality of life and desire to have children in the future.