Cervical cancer begins when healthy cells undergo genetic mutations or changes in DNA. This genetic mutation then converts normal cells into abnormal cells. Healthy cells will grow and multiply at a certain speed, while cancer cells grow and multiply uncontrollably.
The number of abnormal cells that continue to grow will form a tumor. Cancer cells that appear then attack the surrounding tissue. This cell can break away from the initial location and spread to other body areas, this process is called metastasis.
Cervical Cancer Due to HPV or Human papillomavirus
There are several risk factors that cause women with cervical cancer. But the study found that even 99.7 percent of cervical cancers are caused by HPV. HPV is a class of viruses, in which there are more than 100 types of HPV.
HPV virus is generally spread through sexual contact, where there is direct contact between the genital skin, mucous membranes, or exchange of body fluids, and through oral sex. After starting sexual intercourse, an estimated 33 percent of women will be infected with HPV. Some types of HPV cause no obvious symptoms, and the infection may disappear without medical treatment.
But there are other types of HPV that can cause genital warts. This type of HPV causes genital warts does not cause cervical cancer. There are about 15 types of HPV that potentially cause cervical cancer. The two most common types are HPV 16 and HPV 18. This type causes cervical cancer in 70 percent of women.
High-risk HPV types are thought to contain genetic material that can be transferred from viral cells into cervical cells. This material will begin to disrupt the performance of the cells, until eventually the cervical cells that breed uncontrollably. This process causes the appearance of the tumor and then turns into cancer.
There is no known cure for HPV infection. The virus itself can remain in the body with or without treatment. However, most HPV infections disappear without special treatment in about two years. However, as a precaution, every woman is advised to receive HPV vaccination to prevent contracting the type of virus that causes cancer.
Status Prakanker - Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia
Cervical cancer takes years to grow from healthy cells to precancerous cells and eventually cancer cells. Abnormal changes of cells before cancer is known as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or precancerous cells. Cellular changes due to HPV infection to CIN, until eventually become very slow cancer. This process can occur within 10-20 years.
CIN is a condition of abnormal cell growth before cancer. These conditions generally do not threaten a person's health directly, but potentially turn into cancer. Although the risk of CIN cells turned into cancer is relatively small, doctors will monitor or handle it as a preventive measure of cervical cancer. The purpose of the pap smear is to identify this stage in order for CIN to be treated before it completely turns cancerous.
The rate of abnormal cell changes can be divided according to its severity, namely:
- itemCIN 1 - This condition occurs when changes in cervical cells are small or not very significant. Can be treated or monitored regularly because cells at the CIN 1 stage may turn back to normal without medical treatment.
- itemCIN 2 - There are more changes than CIN 2; Generally abnormal cells are removed by the doctor.
- itemCIN 3 - At this stage, cell changes are very abnormal but not yet cancerous. The CIN 3 cells will be removed by the doctor.
Factors That Can Increase Cervical Cancer Risk
There are several factors that can increase the risk of cervical cancer, among others:
- itemSexual activity too early: Having sex at an early age will increase the risk of HPV infection.
- itemSwitching sexual partners: Having multiple sexual partners increases the risk of HPV infection.
- itemSmoking: Women who smoke double the risk. This may be caused by harmful chemicals from tobacco that appear in the cervix.
- itemWeak immune system: This condition may be due to taking certain medications such as immunosuppressants. This drug is used so that the body does not reject organ donations from other people or because of HIV / AIDS.
- itemChildbirth: The more children a woman is born, the higher the risk of cervical cancer. Women who have three children, three times more likely to develop cervical cancer than women who have no children at all. It is thought that hormonal changes during pregnancy make the cervix more susceptible to HPV.
- itemDrinking contraceptive pills or family planning for more than five years: Taking birth control pills for a long time will increase the risk of doubling cervical cancer. Although this is still not clear why.
How To Spread Cervical Cancer
If cervical cancer is not diagnosed and not treated, slowly the cancer cells will come out of the cervix and spread to surrounding organs and tissues. Cancer can spread to the vagina and the muscles that support the pelvic bone. Cancer cells can also spread to the upper body. This condition will block the channels that flow from the kidney to the bladder or often referred to as the ureter.
Cancer can spread to the bladder, rectum, and eventually to the liver, bones, and lungs. This cancer cell can also spread to the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system consists of a series of nodes and channels that radiate throughout the body in the same way as the circulatory system.
The lymph nodes produce many specialized cells that the immune system needs. If you are infected, the nodes in the neck or under the armpit will swell. In some early-stage cervical cancers, the lymph nodes close to the cervix contain cancer cells. And in some end-stage cervical cancers, the lymph nodes in the chest and abdomen can also be infected with cancer.