The distance between cervical hypertrophy and "cancer"

Ms. Liu, 36, has given birth to two children. Recently, she suddenly felt discomfort in her lower body and came to the hospital for treatment. Ms. Liu is a very impatient person. During the consultation, she kept asking me many questions, one of which was: "Doctor, do you think I will get cervical cancer?"

Cervical hypertrophy is common in women who have given birth too many times. Due to multiple pregnancies and childbirths, the elastic fiber tissue in the myometrium proliferates between the smooth muscles and around the blood vessels, causing uterine hypertrophy; or due to repeated infections in the postpartum period, incomplete uterine involution causes cervical hypertrophy.

It is also common in women with ovarian dysfunction, due to excessive estrogen secretion and long-term stimulation, which causes the thickening of the uterine myometrium and cervical hypertrophy. It is also common in women with chronic inflammation. Chronic adnexitis or uterine parenchymal inflammation causes uterine fibrosis, which can lead to uterine hypertrophy. Pelvic congestion or uterine myometrial vascular sclerosis can also cause uterine connective tissue hyperplasia, leading to uterine hypertrophy.

Cervical hypertrophy is a pathological type of chronic cervicitis. It is mostly caused by long-term stimulation of chronic inflammation, which leads to cervical congestion, edema, hyperplasia, inflammatory cell infiltration and thickening of fibrous connective tissue, causing the cervix to enlarge and thicken. If cervical hypertrophy is infected by bacteria and viruses for a long time and is not treated, it will lead to worsening of the disease and cervical cancer. The main methods for confirming whether cervical hypertrophy is cancerous include cervical smear examination, colposcopy-guided biopsy and liquid-based cytology (TCT).

Because most early cervical cancer or precancerous lesions caused by cervical hypertrophy are asymptomatic, only regular cervical cancer screening can lead to timely treatment. Cervical cancer can be cured through treatment and will not affect future life.