Cervical cancer stage III

Of course, for a disease like cervical cancer, the earlier it is discovered, the greater the possibility of cure. If cervical cancer has developed to the late stage, it may cause cancer cells to spread to other areas of the body, making it very difficult to cure. Cervical cancer problems of different severities are also divided into different stages by doctors. So what does it mean if you are diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer?

What is stage 3 cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is the most common malignant tumor of the female reproductive system. This tumor can be divided into three categories: early, middle and late stages. It can also be divided into the first stage of cervical cancer, the second stage and the third stage.

The third stage of cervical cancer and the late stage of cervical cancer are almost the same, just with different names. At this time, the cancer cells generally not only invade the cervix, but also invade the lower third of the vagina and even the pelvic cavity, which is very dangerous. For patients with stage III or advanced cervical cancer, surgery must be performed to remove cancer cells in the body, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, or radiotherapy first, followed by surgical resection to remove the malignant tumor invaded by cancer cells. The cleaner the resection, the better.

As long as a woman starts having sexual activity, she is likely to be infected with HPV (human papillomavirus, the main cause of cervical cancer), so she should undergo regular cervical cancer screening every year after having sexual activity. How to screen for cervical cancer? Cervical cancer screening should adopt a "three-step" procedure of cervical cytology or high-risk HPV DNA testing, colposcopy, and cervical biopsy, and the diagnosis is based on histological diagnosis.

1. Cervical cytology examination

It is a basic method for early cervical cancer screening and an essential step in diagnosis. Compared with high-risk HPV testing, cytology has high specificity but low sensitivity. Screening should begin 3 years after the start of sexual activity, or after the age of 21, and be reviewed regularly.

2. High-risk HPV DNA testing

Compared with cytology, it has higher sensitivity but lower specificity. It can be used in combination with cytology for cervical cancer screening. It can also be used to triage abnormal cytology examinations. When the cytology is atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS), high-risk HPV DNA testing is performed. Those with positive results undergo colposcopy, and those with negative results undergo cytology examination after 12 months.

3. Colposcopy

If the cytology examination shows atypical squamous cells (ASCUS) and the high-risk HPV DNA test is positive, or if it is low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion or above, a colposcopy should be performed.

4. Cervical biopsy

Any lesion visible to the naked eye should be biopsied at one or more points. If you need to understand the pathological changes of the cervical canal, endocervical scraping should be performed.

What are the causes and symptoms of cervical cancer?

Causes of cervical cancer

What are the causes of cervical cancer? Cervical cancer is closely related to early marriage, premature birth and multiple births. Therefore, one should avoid early marriage, early childbearing, multiple births, and sexual disorder; pay attention to the cleanliness of the perineum, and avoid sexual intercourse during menstruation and the postpartum period. The main causes of cervical cancer are:

1. HPV infection

Currently, there are more than 120 known types of HPV, more than 30 of which are related to reproductive tract infections, and more than 10 of which are closely related to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer. Medical research has found that more than 99% of cervical cancer tissues are infected with high-risk HPV.

2. Sexual activity and birth frequency

Multiple sexual partners, first sexual intercourse before the age of 16, early childbirth, and high birth rates are associated with the occurrence of cervical cancer. The cervix is ​​not yet fully developed during adolescence and is more sensitive to carcinogens. As the number of births increases, the chance of cervical trauma also increases. There are also changes in endocrine and nutrition during delivery and pregnancy, and the risk of cervical cancer increases. Pregnant women have lower immunity and the HPV DNA detection rate is very high. Women who have sexual contact with men at high risk of penile cancer, prostate cancer or whose sexual partners have had cervical cancer are also susceptible to cervical cancer.

Symptoms of cervical cancer

The early symptoms of cervical cancer often have no obvious manifestations and signs, and patients with endocervical cancer are prone to missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis due to their normal cervical appearance. As the disease progresses, patients may experience the following symptoms:

1. Vaginal bleeding: It often manifests as contact bleeding, that is, vaginal bleeding after sexual intercourse or gynecological examination. It may also manifest as irregular vaginal bleeding, or prolonged and increased menstrual flow. The amount of bleeding varies depending on the size of the lesion and the extent of invasion of the interstitial blood vessels. If large blood vessels are eroded, massive bleeding may occur. Generally, exophytic cancers bleed earlier and in larger amounts, while endophytic cancers bleed later.

2. Vaginal discharge: Most patients have vaginal discharge that is white or bloody, thin, sleepy or rice-water-like, and has a fishy odor. Patients in the late stage may have a large amount of rice-water or purulent and foul-smelling leucorrhea due to necrosis of cancer tissue and infection.

3. Late symptoms: Different secondary symptoms appear depending on the extent of cancer involvement. Such as frequent urination, urgency, constipation, swelling and pain in the lower limbs, etc.; when the tumor compresses or involves the ureter, it can cause ureteral obstruction, hydronephrosis and uremia; in the late stage, there may be symptoms of systemic failure such as anemia and cachexia.