Cervical cancer symptoms & treatment

It's common to not have any symptoms from cervical cancer in its early stages, which is why it’s important to get routine pelvic exams and screenings. Advanced cervical cancer symptoms may include:

• Abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge
• Pain in the lower belly or pelvis
• Pain during sex
• Frequent or painful urination
• Weight loss

How do you know if you have cervical cancer?

Getting regular Pap smears every 3 years beginning at age 21 and adding HPV testing every 5 years at age 30 are extremely effective screening strategies. If the screenings show any abnormalities, you’ll be referred for diagnostic testing to confirm or deny a cervical cancer diagnosis.

How long can you have cervical cancer without knowing?

Since cervical cancer is slow growing, you may not know that you have cancer for months or even years until symptoms appear. The average age for diagnosis is 50, but it’s common between the ages of 35-44. This is why preventive testing is so crucial.

Diagnosis of cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is typically diagnosed with a combination of tests and exams. If you have a sign of cervical cancer, your doctor may recommend one of these tests:

• Pap & HPV tests: A Pap test is the standard way to see if there are any cervical cell changes that cause concern. Getting a routine Pap test based on screening guidelines is one of the most important ways to prevent cervical cancer. An HPV test shows if you have an infection with the types of HPV that are known to be linked to cervical cancer. Both cervical cancer screening tests can be done in the doctor's office during a pelvic exam.
• Pelvic exam: Visible cervical cancer may be found during an annual pelvic exam in your doctor or health care provider’s office.
• Colposcopy: A special viewing scope with magnifying lenses is used to examine the surface of your cervix.
• Cervical biopsy: Tissues and cells from areas that look different from a normal cervix may be removed and checked in the lab under a microscope.

Cervical cancer types & stages

There are four stages of cervical cancer. If you receive a positive diagnosis, your doctor will determine how far the cancer has spread in your cervix and beyond (known as staging). This is done with imaging tests, a biopsy or cystoscopy.

• Stage 1 cervical cancer: Cancer is confined to the cervix (original site).
• Stage 2 cervical cancer: Cancer is in the original site and has spread to the uterus but hasn’t spread to the lower part of the vagina or walls of the pelvis.
• Stage 3 cervical cancer: Cancer is in the original site and has spread to the lower part of the vagina, walls of the pelvis and possibly nearby lymph nodes.
• Stage 4 cervical cancer: Cancer has spread from its original site to nearby and distant lymph nodes, organs and tissues in the body, like the bladder, rectum, bones or lungs.

Your doctor will also investigate the type of cervical cancer you have. Squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma are the two main types of cervical cancer. They are based on the cells they originate from on the surface of your cervix. 90% of cervical cancers are squamous cell carcinomas.

What are the treatment options for cervical cancer?

Your treatment plan will depend on your diagnosis, your general health, your type and stage of cervical cancer and whether you have or want to have children. Your doctor will discuss the course of cervical cancer treatment that’s right for your needs. Generally, cervical cancer treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy.

Radiation therapy & chemotherapy

During radiation therapy, high-energy rays similar to X-rays are directed toward the cancerous area. There are two main types of radiation therapy: external and internal (also know as brachytherapy). Learn more about radiation therapy

Chemotherapy uses medication to kill cervical cancer cells or slow their growth. There are different types of chemotherapy drugs, and depending on the medication, they may be given by mouth, through injection, as a topical skin cream or through an IV. Learn more about chemotherapy

Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are designed to kill cancer cells, but they also damage healthy cells. These treatments often leave patients experiencing side effects such as fatigue, nausea and hair loss.

In some cases, chemotherapy or radiation is used to shrink your tumor before surgery. Surgery may also be followed by chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy to kill additional cancer cells.

Surgery

Surgical options to treat cervical cancer include:

• Cryosurgery: Abnormal cells are killed by freezing them with a cold metal probe.
• Laser surgery: Abnormal cells are destroyed with heat from a focused beam of energy.
• Conization: Removing a cone-shaped portion of tissue may be the only treatment necessary. Conization (or a cone biopsy) is usually performed with either the loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), also called a large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ), or with a surgical scalpel or laser in a “cold knife” procedure.
• Vaginal hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus): A small incision is made at the top of the vagina to remove the uterus and sometimes other reproductive organs.
• Open surgery: An incision in your abdomen allows either a simple hysterectomy, in which your uterus and cervix are removed; a total hysterectomy, in which your uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes and ovaries are removed; or a radical hysterectomy, in which your uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes, ovaries and tissue around the uterus and cervix are removed.
• Lymphadenectomy: Your surgeon will remove some of the lymph nodes in your pelvis and abdomen and have them examined under a microscope to see if the cancer has spread.
• Pelvic exenteration: This surgery is only used if cancer returns after your initial treatment. It’s extensive surgery to remove the uterus, cervix, lymph nodes, bladder, vagina, rectum and/or part of the colon.
• Robotic surgery: This minimally invasive procedure is similar to a laparoscopy but uses robotic precision coupled with magnified views and the surgeon's skills to perform a hysterectomy.

Meet Leonila

In this heartfelt video, Leonila Vega and her partner Brad talk about her initial visit to Aurora. She also discusses her decision to enter our phase 3 cervical cancer clinical trial in hopes of getting a chance to do what she still wants in life.