Cervical Cancer
At Reid Cancer Center, compassionate cancer specialists offer personalized cervical cancer and the latest treatments to help women in Indiana and Ohio overcome this disease.
What is cervical cancer?
In almost all cases, cervical cancer is the result of a common sexually transmitted virus called human papillomavirus (HPV). About 80% of sexually active women will contract HPV during their lifetimes. For about 90% of women, HPV infection will go away on its own without causing serious complications. In others, however, it can develop into cancer.
Reid Cancer Center offers a team of expert oncologists and support staff, advanced technology, and a full scope of cancer therapies. Our cancer navigators and financial navigators are here to help you and your family understand and address every aspect of your treatment plan.
Symptoms of cervical cancer
Most women won’t experience cervical cancer symptoms until the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. That’s why it’s so important to have regular cervical cancer screenings, such as a Pap test or an HPV test.
When symptoms develop, they might include:
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding
- Bleeding after sex
- Blood in the urine
- Difficulties having a bowel movement or urinating
- Leg swelling
- Pain during sex
- Pelvic pain
- Unusual vaginal discharge
Cervical cancer screenings at Reid
Regular Pap tests and HPV screenings are essential for detecting precancerous cervical cells and early-stage cervical cancer, which could prevent invasive cancer and expand treatment options. It's recommended to start Pap tests at age 21 to monitor cervical health.
Cervical cancer is the only cancer preventable through vaccination, historically given to children. Receiving the HPV vaccine before this age significantly lowers cervical cancer risk later in life. Adults concerned about their risk should discuss the vaccine with their healthcare providers.
Risk factors of cervical cancer
While HPV is the main risk factor for cervical cancer, other factors might also increase your risk, including:
- Using birth control pills: Long-term use of oral contraceptives could increase the risk of cervical cancer. However, the risk decreases when you stop taking them.
- Pregnancy: Being younger than 20 during a first full-term pregnancy or having three or more full-term pregnancies increases your risk.
- Sexual history: If you became sexually active before 18, had multiple sex partners, or had sex with a high-risk partner, you might be at an increased risk.
- Smoking: If you smoke, you are twice as likely to develop cervical cancer as women who don’t smoke.
- Weak immune system: If you take immunosuppressants because of autoimmune diseases or organ transplants, or if you have other conditions that weaken the immune system, you might not be able to fight HPV naturally.
Diagnosing cervical cancer
When you or a loved one is diagnosed with cervical cancer, the experts at Reid Cancer Center are here to help you understand your options for cervical cancer treatment.
In most cases, early-stage cervical cancer doesn’t have any symptoms, so diagnosing cervical cancer usually occurs during regular Pap tests or HPV tests your OB-GYN performs as part of a well-woman checkup.
If the results of your Pap or HPV test are abnormal, you might need a follow-up Pap test or:
- Cervical biopsy: During this test, a small piece of tissue is removed and tested for cancer cells.
- Colposcopy: Using a colposcope — a tube with a lighted camera at the end — your doctor can evaluate the vagina and cervix.
Staging cervical cancer
If your Pap test, colposcopy, and cervical biopsy indicate you have cervical cancer, the next step is to determine the stage of cancer. Imaging tests, including MRI, CT scans, PET scans, and X-rays, can all be used to determine its stage.
Cervical cancers are usually given a stage between 1 and 4:
- Stage 1: At Stage 1, cancer has formed and is found only in the cervix.
- Stage 2: At Stage 2, cancer has spread to the upper two-thirds of the vagina or to the tissue around the uterus.
- Stage 3: By Stage 3, cancer has spread to the lower third of the vagina and/or the pelvic wall, has caused kidney problems, or involves lymph nodes.
- Stage 4: By Stage 4, cancer has spread beyond the pelvis, to the lining of the bladder or rectum, or to other parts of the body.
Cervical cancer treatments
Reid oncologists personalize your care plan based on the stage of your cancer, your overall health, any existing conditions, and whether you want to have children.
Treatments for cervical cancer might include:
- Surgery: A physician will perform a surgical procedure to remove the cancer from the cervix. Some women need a hysterectomy to remove the uterus and cervix. Women who still want to have children can have a procedure called radical trachelectomy, which leaves the uterus but removes the cervix and part of the vagina.
- Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy uses medications to kill cancerous cells when cervical cancer has spread to other areas outside of the cervix. In most cases, chemotherapy for cervical cancer is administered intravenously, which means it is infused or injected into a vein.
- Radiation therapy: High-energy X-rays are either aimed at the cancer from outside the body (external beam radiation) or radiation sources are placed within the cervix or vagina (brachytherapy). At Reid Cancer Center, our TrueBeam® system offers more precise radiation therapy in shorter treatment sessions.
- Targeted drug therapy: These medications target the proteins that help cervical cancer grow. Targeted drug therapy works by either destroying or slowing the growth of cancer cells.
- Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy medications help your body’s immune system fight back and destroy cervical cancer cells.
Reid Cancer Center offers a full range of treatments for cervical cancer, and our doctors, nurses, and patient navigators are here for our patients every step of the way. If you have cervical cancer, you have a full team of cancer experts behind you, and these specialists are supported with some of the area’s most advanced technology for cancer treatments. When you’re a patient at Reid Cancer Center, you’re in good hands.