Ans.
: Cervical cancer starts in a
woman's cervix, which is the lower, narrow part
of the uterus. The uterus holds the growing fetus
during pregnancy. The cervix connects the lower
part of the uterus to the vagina and, with the
vagina, forms the birth canal.
Cervical cancer develops when normal cells
on the surface of the cervix begin to change,
grow uncontrollably, and eventually form a mass
of cells called a tumor. A tumor can be benign
(noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
At first, the changes in a cell are abnormal,
not cancerous. Researchers believe, however,
that some of these abnormal changes are the
first step in a series of slow changes that
can lead to cancer. Some of the abnormal cells
go away without treatment, but others can become
cancerous. This phase of the disease is called
dysplasia (an abnormal growth of cells). The
precancerous tissue needs to be removed to keep
cancer from developing. Often, the precancerous
tissue can be removed or destroyed without harming
healthy tissue, but in some cases, a hysterectomy
(removal of the uterus and cervix) is needed
to prevent cervical cancer. Treatment of a lesion
(a precancerous area) depends on the following
factors:
* How big the lesion is, and what type of
changes have occurred in the cells
* If the woman wants to have children in the
future
* The woman's age
* The woman's general health
* The preference of the woman and her doctor
If the precancerous cells change into true
cancer cells and spread deeper into the cervix
or to other tissues and organs, the disease
is then called cervical cancer.
There are two main types of cervical cancer,
named for the type of cell where the cancer
started.
* Squamous cell carcinoma, which makes up
about 80% to 90% of all cervical cancers
* Adenocarcinoma, which makes up 10% to 20%
of all cervical cancers
