Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer occurs in the cervix of a woman. The cervix is the
narrow, lower part of the uterus and opens into the vagina. A pap test that
looks for changes in the cells inside the cervix. A coloscopy may be
required if the test comes back irregular. Cervical cancer can be very
serious. It can take several years for the cells of the cervix to change
into cancer cells, but it can also happen very quickly.
Women should begin having pap tests by the time they are 21. Testing
should then be done every 1-3 years depending on the patient's age and
family history. Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are caused by the human
papillomavirus, or HPV. HPV is a sexually transmitted viral infection.
There is now a vaccine that can be administered to girls and young women to
prevent the four types of HPV that most commonly cause cervical cancers. |
