Cervical cancer is so easily preventable that awareness on the subject and convincing women to take the regular Pap tests have become vital factors in fighting the disease. Incidence has already dropped exponentially ever since the start with using Pap screenings but there are still women that leave displasya untreated or defy cervical cancer risk factors. These can be deadly if treated with indifference or ignorance. This is why governance has been trying to play their part in educating the people and their strategy includes declaring January the national cervical cancer awareness month. During this month women are encouraged to tend to their cervical cancer prevention needs and are bombarded with information about HPV, the importance of early detection, treatment options, risk factors and overall prevention methods. Recent advances and more research in treatment and diagnosis are issues the US Congress has called on doctors and institutions to promote more intensely alongside encouraging women to get the Pap smear or consider the HPV vaccine for younger women and girls.
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Personal stories about fighting and overcoming the disease are brought to the attention of women nationwide and reports on regional success on early detection or treatment programs are expected to be added to the whole campaign. This strategy is very effective since women are more likely to simply take the test in a month where she is told to do it from all sides.



The number of women in the US who develop cervical cancer each year is still as high as 11,000 women. About 4,000 cases from these result in death. Cervical cancer is far from being a resolved cancer issue and more effort in the direction of improving awareness can mean even a few thousands cases less. This information should reach women of all ages and classes and screening methods in January should be cheaper. For low-income family women, uninsured and underserved women there are already special programs through which they can appply for free screening. The only thing that stands in between women and safety against cancer is that first impulse that gets them to schedule themselves for a Pap test.

Cervical cancer is a serious disease and can even affect the woman's ability to have children. This can be prevented even just by having a healthy lifestyle, by having protected sex, by choosing for one partner instead of multiple sex partners and by undergoing the Pap screening of course. Vaccines against the sexually transmitted HPV virus found in 90% of cervical cancer cases are also a good option. Gardasil and Cervarix are vaccines that fight against HPV 16 and 18 strains, which are most likely to lead to displasya and eventually cervical cancer.



All these are things that require the minimum of attention that can make women take the Pap test and treat their health and that of those around more responsibly. Having a national cervical cancer awareness month can contribute greatly to focusing just enough public attention on the subject to make it a integrated part of the lives of all American women.

The Oregon Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (BCCP) is a program aimed at helping and offering support to low-income, medically underserved women and the ones that are not insured. These women are offered the access to screening programs that can save their lives. Early detection of breast and cervical cancer shouldn't be an option only for richer women. Thanks to the Oregon BCCP almost 7,000 women are selected for free testing and screening every year. The funds that allow the program to be so successful come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Susan G. Women for the Cure Oregon and SW Washington Affiliate. Another important source for funds is the American Cancer Society. All these institutions realize the importance of giving an equal chance to all women to keep themselves safe from cervical and breast cancer.
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Services provided by the Breast and Cervical Cancer Program in Oregon include no-cost breast screening and cervical cancer screenings like Pap tests. Their motto is that early screening saves lives and the program has proven this throughout its activity.

The Breast and Cervical Cancer Program provides no-cost breast and cervical cancer screening to eligible women.



The Oregon Breast and Cervical Cancer Program is just a part of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, both intensely active for helping the underserved get a chance at diagnosing cancer early, and therefore at saving their lives. It is a well-known fact that detection of the cancer in its early stage gives women a better chance at curing it. Breast and cervical cancers are also more likely to occur once women advance in age and women tend to make their health a second priority to providing for the family. The Oregon Breast and Cervical Cancer Program gives these women the chance to undergo free mammograms that can detect the cancer even with two years before. Cervical cancer is also a type of cancer that doesn't show symptoms in its early stages do Pap screening is essential if they want to detect the cancer in an earlier stage. Precancerous lesions or early stage cervical cancer are 100% curable.

In order for a woman to be eligible for the program she must be an Oregon resident and she must live on a household income level under 250% Federal Poverty Level. Other eligibility requirements also include to be uninsured or to be underinsured. Women over 50 are favored for screenings for both cancers. Women under 50 or even under 40 need to meet certain requirements as to the signs, symptoms or any indications of a type of cancer, breast or cervical. Actually, women under 40 years, if symptomatic, are eligible only for breast cancer screenings.



It is very important that women are aware of such programs and not dismiss any screening options only because they don't see how they could ever afford it.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women and it is also one of the leading causes is cancer deaths among women. Fortunately, this type of cancer is very easy to prevent or to detect in an early stage of development. The main tool to do this, one that has shown to significantly reduce incidence of the cancer, is the regular Pap screening. This test can detect HPV infections and leasions that can lead to cancer. If detected at this stage, the cancer of precancerous conditions are 100% curable. The vaccine against cervical cancer is also an increasingly popular and effective weapon against incidence of cervical cancer.
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Because it offers so many options of prevention, the most important thing is to raise awareness and to spread educational material on the subject of cervical cancer and HPV infections so that women are encouraged to schedule themselves for the Pap tests and to ensure that they also take them regularly to give themselves maximum chances against the cancer.



Educational material is a very important element of awareness campaigns. These can spread the word but also give details about the dangers of and risk factors for developing cervical cancer. Such educational material can have a powerful impact on the way young girls will approach the start of their sexual lives and on their laziness and ignorance when it comes to monitoring their health and testing themselves for different affections such as cervical lesions.

Public campaigns are bound to have such brochures and materials to give away but you can also find them in drug stores or in your gynecologist's office. If you have a daughter on the verge of becoming sexually active it would be an inspired decision to give her a brochure or other educational material about cervical cancer. You don't have to scare her, but make sure she takes the information seriously. Needless to say, adult women themselves can benefit from this material. Being a mother should make you more responsible about your health and you can also set an example for your daughter by undergoing a Pap screening yourself.

The National Cancer Institute has been a main source for this material and it also takes the responsibility of up-dating information present in this educational material. Every year about 11.000 women find out they have cervical cancer and the majority of them has never thought of their risks of developing it and many don't even know what it is and how dangerous it can be.



Educational material can include information about causes, risk factors, symptoms, treatment for cervical cancer but can also constitute health guides for women of all ages. As far as cervical cancer is concerned, it is very important to be proactive and to take measures to prevent the disease. This action of keeping women aware of this risk must be a continuous effort so that younger generations are just as conscious about their health as older ones. Statistics have also raised an alarm signal as incidence of cervical cancer has begun to increase slightly in the last years. This means women are beginning to give up or postpone their Pap tests party as a result of becoming less interested in cervical cancer since it is presented as a smaller risk than a few years ago.

Cervical cancer is not contagious to men but such a confusion is understandable as HPV, the virus that is mostly connected to cervical cancer, is a sexually transmitted disease. Both men and women can carry HPV and can pass it on to their partners through sexual intercourse. Unfortunately condoms don't guarantee safety against the virus as it is also transmitted through the skin. Condoms can still minimize the risk of contacting the virus though it doesn't cover all the skin on the genitals. HPV can also be transmitted through anal and oral sex as well and even through "dry sex", when intercourse doesn't actually happen. This is why you should always tell your sexual partners or potential sexual partners that you have HPV or genital warts and make a decision together. Testing and monitoring your condition is very important for you and your partner as genital warts don't typically show symptoms like pain and discomfort.
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Consult your doctor to make the right choice and to decide on a treatment for genital warts. These might also go away on their own but you shouldn't dismiss them without seeking a doctor's attention.



There are more risks of HPV being passed from men to women than from women to men as there are no reliable tests for men to detect HPV infections. Furthermore only in women this virus can lead to cervical cancer but let's not forget that this happens in a minority of cases. Though 80% of cervical cancers occur in people carrying the virus about 80% of the population carries it. This shows that only a small part of HPV cases can be linked to cervical cancer. For men HPV rarely causes any problems except maybe mild warts that can either be treated or go away on their own but by no means lead to cancer. However, some sources claim some HPV strains can lead to or can be considered risk factors for anus and penis cancer.

Any doctor could tell you that it's close to ridiculous to claim you have cervical cancer from sexual intercourse. Cancer is not a sexually transmitted disease or for that matter it cannot be transmitted any other way but sex can definitely be considered a risk factor for developing cervical cancer. It's not complicated if you think about it and it's even easier to prevent. If you get regular Pap screenings you can detect the infection on time and you can cure it and you can be sure not to develop cervical cancer.



All in all cancer can be cause by HPV which is contagious and though you can easily dismiss any link between these it is better not to take any chances and schedule yourself for a Pap screening. As a man be responsible and test any warts you detect and be honest to your sex partner even before there's any certainty of an infection.

Cervical cancer is one of the most easily preventable forms of cancer and this has been made certain by the significant drop in its incidence since the increasing use of Pap screening by women throughout USA. This has helped women be more aware of the risk factors of developing cervical cancer and to detect precancerous conditions or HPV infections that can be treated and are 100% curable. However, this is the result of continuous efforts to keep women aware and prevent the screening from being postponed more and more.
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It's a well known fact that the thing that weighs the most in having a positive life expectancy prognosis is the stage in which the cancer is diagnosed. The earlier your doctor detects the cancer, the more chances you have of overcoming it. That is why constant monitoring through Pap smears is so important.



Surgery is the procedure which, if recommended as a treatment, is already in itself a reason to be optimistic. If surgery applies that means the tumor has not spread and offers a great chance of being removed completely, especially is radiation therapy and chemotherapy are also administered. These can be undergone before surgery to shrink the tumor or after surgery to kill any remaining cancerous cells.

If your condition is operable it might even not have developed into cancer yet and is just a precancerous condition also known as dysplasia. If the woman herself can withstand the intervention then surgery can be established according to the stage of the cancer. Starting with the first precancerous stage, referred to also as stage 0 and includes cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, the procedure recommended is the LEEP procedure (Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure) or Laser Surgery. For precancerous conditions but also for invasive cervical cancer stage IA1 conization can be performed. Other surgical options for stage 0 are cryosurgery and hysterectomy. From then on other, more radical interventions are recommended. These are all performed in operation rooms under anesthesia.

Let's take a look at some of these interventions see what cervical cancer should expect from such procedures.

The LEEP procedure sounds like a complicated intervention and consists in using a high frequency electrical current to cut away tissue invaded by cancerous cells. The procedure is done in one visit and the cancer can be completely cured after just one visit and it can even be effective in the case of some more invasive conditions.



Laser surgery is the second recommended intervention in the case of precancerous conditions. This operation uses a laser beam directed through the vagina and burns off the tissue for biopsy.

Conization is also surgery that can provide a cure for precancerous conditions and acts by removing a cone-shaped piece from the cervix. With all these procedures the woman has greater chances to preserve her ability to have children.

Cervical cancer does not solely disrupt the life of its victim but also the life of the patient's loved ones and especially her life partner. It's difficult to know how to help the victim deal with her condition while you have to deal with risking to lose her yourself. How can you go about the situation without making her think about the pain her condition is also causing you and show no other signs apart from optimism and serenity?
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It's difficult and no doctor can prescribe you the best approach for this. However, there are some guidelines that can help you avoid making any significant mistakes. There are also some predetermined mindsets you can carry around and always count to 10 before you allow yourself a reaction and those recommended mindsets will have time to surface. It all sounds a little abstract so far but let's see what you should keep in mind when there's a risk of having to go through your partner's cervical cancer.



First of all you should talk with the doctor yourself to know what to expect and to know how to emotionally and physically prepare your loved one for what will follow. If she will have to undergo chemotherapy you should know there are side-effects to the whole procedure that will most likely interfere with your normal life. You partner will experience symptoms of fatigue and nausea no matter the time, night and day and it is very important that she knows you are there for her. Patients undergoing cervical cancer treatment usually have the reputation of being stoic individuals who build themselves up to be strong but women undergoing chemo or radiation can be real nervous wrecks and it is only natural if you think about it. This doesn't mean you should indulge them. You should always tell them to be strong and confident and push them to control their nerves but if talking doesn't help you must remain calm and patient and never call her hysterical. She will just end up feeling guilty for pushing her condition onto others and ashamed for being seen at her weakest. She might also have problems with her self confidence because cervical cancer involves the risk of infertility so you should really try to understand her dispositions.



Physical symptoms will also represent a risk for your relationship. These can bring people together but also have the power to bring them apart. It all depends on how much patience you have and how much you are willing to dismiss as conjectural and exclusively disease related. Don't bring your ego into this and don't let her do this either. Don't hesitate to laugh things off and to even take a nap, leave the room if things get too intense. Don't say anything you'll regret.

Be prepared to see her aching and suffering and show her you're sympathetic but don't let yourself cry or be tragic about it. You have to keep optimistic so that she also doesn't lose hope. Learn and read about follow-up care, about any new treatments and any ways to alleviate symptoms at home. Alternative therapy can do wonders for a cancer patient but few doctors will know how and what to prescribe as part of such a treatment. You can research this yourself and contribute to your life partner’s well being while at the same time keeping yourself busy.

Cervical cancer is a very widespread but easy to prevent form of cancer found in women. As with all cancers and early diagnosis can be vital. In recent year the death rate associated with this cancer has plummeted. This is mainly due to the increased awareness on the significance of regular screening through Pap tests. These tests can immediately detect precancerous lesions diagnosed as dysplasia which are 100% curable. Even if diagnosed as cancer, if it is in its early stages it can be easily managed with surgery. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy can be resorted to in later stages of development.
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The first step in ensuring an effective treatment is evaluating the extent of the disease and there are specialized pretherapeutic procedures for doing that. Early cervical cancer is asymptomatic and almost 20% of patients diagnosed with cancer have never had any warning signs.



Ultrasound scans are a method used to stage cervical cancer, as devices part of the biopsy procedure essential in accurately diagnosing the cancer. Staging the cancer is vital. The pretreatment evaluation of patients with cervical cancer includes chest x-rays, intravenous urography and physical examination but also cross sectional imaging (CT or MRI). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has a much better soft-tissue contrast resolution than computed tomography(CT) or ultrasound procedures(US-ultrasonography). Though ultrasound is also useful, an MRI is more effective and accurate in assessing the size and extent of the tumor, but also the degree of invasiveness and the exact determination of the area affected by the cancerous formations.  Actually both MRI and CT scanning are superior to ultrasound in what concerns the detection of swollen lymph nodes. US is not the first choice for staging the full extent of the invasiveness of the cancer. This particular procedure does not accurately detect all the potential sites of metastasis and also does not depict the areas of the body which contain lymph nodes. So there are significantly more limitations to  ultrasound screening.

Another disadvantage is also the fact that US depends a whole deal on the operator. The quality of the image is worsened by a large body habitus and visualization of parts of the pelvis and abdomen can be interfered with by bowel gas and bony structures and other irrelevant factors. The transabdominal ultrasound is also a procedure to be considered but it can also be affected by the degree of bladder filling and surgical lesions present on the body. This procedure implies a high degree of inaccuracy risk and it is best used as a complimentary testing procedure.



There's also the option for a transvaginal ultrasound which is more frequently done but also implies certain limitations among which a small field of view. This also applies to the transrectal ultrasound. Not to mention that many patients present certain intolerance to the transvaginal or transrectal approach.

Studies conducted not to long time ago have concluded that for early stage cervical cancer treated by surgery, namely radical hysterectomy, the adenosquamous cell type does not imply a worse prognosis than any of the pure cell types. This being said we can look further into what separates adenosquamous carcinoma of the cervix from other forms of cancers of the uterus.
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Types of cancers bear different names depending on the cells the affect. Cancer affecting the glandular cells is called adenocarcinoma and can also develop squamous cells.  Non-cancerous squamous cells can also be called adenocanthomas cancer and the cancerous ones are called adenosquamous carcinoma. This last one, on which we will go into more detail, is significantly more invasive and aggressive. This has lead to a lower cure rate in the case of such cancers but progress has been reported in what concerns the treatment.



The difference between these types of cancer is important though they are treated the same. Symptoms are also almost the same. Only a biopsy or a histology report can accurately establish the cancer type.

Symptoms that can lead you into getting tested include vaginal bleeding and vaginal discharge occurring outside your period, watery discharge during a cycle or after menopause, discomfort and bloating and others, depending on each individual’s reaction. Consult your doctor for a full list and for confirmation that you should indeed seek further investigation. A simple physical examination will determine the risk of having developed the cancer. This can be done simply by checking for swelling in the abdomen. A transvaginal ultrasound can also be useful in indicating the possibility of cervical cancer. It this have worrying results, to accurately diagnose the cancer and to pave the way for a treatment plan you should get blood tests, a chest x-ray and a dilation and curettage procedure.

Exact causes are not really known but risk factors you should be aware of include menopause, infertility, obesity, high blood pressure, family history of breast or bowel cancer, diabetes, exposure to radiation and excessive amounts of estrogen in the body.



Treatment options derive from the exact diagnosis and from the individual condition of the patients. Surgery is the standard procedure. The removal of the uterus and even of the fallopian tubes and ovaries might be necessary. If the cancer has become more invasive removal of the lymph nodes in the abdomen, of the cervix and of a small portion of the upper vagina also represent a vital intervention. Complimentary therapy is also standard in this case. Adjuvant therapies like radiation and chemotherapy can be of great efficiency in completely killing the cancerous cells. Blocking estrogen production can also inhibit during treatment of adenosquamous cells.

Consult your oncologist to eliminate any confusion on the subject and though it is not essential for you to understand the differences between these cancers and the particularities of adenosquamous carcinoma, you should be aware of the significance such particularities as those derived from the cells affected have for a successful treatment.

Cervical cancer may have many other reasons to worry about besides their own health and conditions. Such stress factors can be very harmful and family is the only one more manageable than the others with the potential of offering great support to the cancer patients.
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And as if telling friends and family that you have been diagnosed with cancer was not difficult enough, in the case of cervical cancer you also have to deal with prejudice and stigmatization as many people immediately relate cervical cancer with promiscuity, though it's hardly the case. So, not only do you have to deal with the emotions you are feeling about telling them that you have a potentially deadly disease, but you also have to endure shame and juggle in the same time with coping with the reaction of the person you are breaking the news to. Today, people automatically think of the worst when they hear the word "cancer" as we have all known at least one person in our lives who died from it.



What you should bare in mind in that you are under no obligation to tell about your cancer to anybody who won't really be supportive during treatment.You should however tell your family, close friends, members of your clergy and perhaps your employer, if treatment will affect your work. Saying you have cancer can be very therapeutic as it is the first step in coping with cancer. To truly recognize and accept your illness you

should keep an open communication channel for all those in your support circle but remember you don't have to talk about your condition with anybody you don't feel comfortable with. Withholding such information is an individual right.

The most important thing is to be completely honest and don't make it harder on yourself by feeling more alone in your struggle. Keep in mind that they are suffering alongside you and you may even find yourself giving them just as much support as they are giving you.



Living with the cancer and undergoing treatment is also very difficult especially without somebody else caring for you beside the nurse and doctor. Psychical and emotional issues can add to your weakened condition as you'll struggle with thoughts of your remaining life after treatment. Worrying about losing your job can even sometimes become more intense than worrying for your life. Having somebody to talk with about this or somebody to understand and help you is very important and can keep you motivated and optimistic throughout the treatment.

If you worry about taking care of your family simply let them know and they're bound to do their best to ensure you they are fine and awaiting your return. In many cases family members have shown their support and have contributed a lot to optimizing treatment for their loved ones.

Some of us might even have had to luck to see such an inspirational family member of a cancer patient walking around with a T-shirt saying he supports his mom, of aunt in her struggle.

Cervical cancer is the formation and spread of cancerous cells in the cervix, the lower part of the uterus which opens in the vagina. Throughout the world statistics show it as the third most common forms of cancer in women. Cervical cancer develops very slowly and it starts as a precancerous condition called dysplasia. Fortunately, this precancerous affection can be detected with a Pap screening and is 100% treatable. The Pap smears and the HPV vaccine have significantly reduced the death rate of cervical cancer in the last years.
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In its early stage cervical precancerous cells can remain undetected and then slowly they can develop into cervical cancer and spread to the bladder, intestines, lungs, and liver. That's why it is important to have regular Pap tests. It can take years for precancerous changes to turn into cervical cancer, years in which you can diagnose dysplasia and cure it completely or years that, if undetected, the cancer can grow until it is too invasive to cure.



For cancer that has spread hysterectomy is the standard treatment. Hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus without the ovaries. For the most advanced cancers doctors can perform a radical hysterectomy which means the removal of the uterus with much of the tissue surrounding it. This can include a part of the vagina and internal lymph nodes.

Hysterectomy is a complicated surgery and it can give you great chances of beating the cancer. This surgical intervention can be done either through an incision in the abdomen or one in the vagina. In order to reach maximal results you must consult with your doctor to decide what kind of hysterectomy is best suited for you. The factors to consider are your medical history and what you want to do through the surgery.

There are 5 types of hysterectomy procedures you can chose from. These are: abdominal hysterectomy, vgianl hysterectomy, laparoscopic hysterectomy, laparoscopally assisted vaginal hysterectomy and robotic surgery. During all these interventions your uterus or just a part of it will be removed.  The fallopian tubes and the ovaries might also need to be removed. You can conclude by yourself about the treatment's impact on your reproduction system. You can also notice changes both in your body and in how you feel about yourself. Make sure you keep an open communication channel with your doctor, your family, and your friends about these possible changes before and after surgery.

The risks of undergoing such a surgery are as those of other interventions. However, hysterectomy adds to those the risk of injury to nearby organs, blood vessels and bladder. Another risk you should be aware of is that early menopause can occur after surgery, especially if you had had the ovaries removed. Pain during sexual intercourse is also common but for the rest the sexual function doesn't necessarily decrease and actually depends on what sexual function was like before the surgery.



It can take from 4 to 6 weeks to recover from this treatment and you'll probably have to remain in the hospital for 2 or 3 days after the surgery.

Even if the intervention was a very successful one you should still go in for your regular Pap smear and make sure that the cancer doesn't relapse.The doctor can better advise  you on your follow up treatment and you should be aware that relapse in cervical cancer is not even slightly impossible.