Any woman can be at risk for any gynecologic cancer. Risk tends to increase with age, and there is always a heightened possibility of cancer due to family history or race. Lifestyle choices such as chronic smoking and obesity can impact one's risk for developing a gynecologic cancer; for instance, there is a correlation between higher rates of uterine/endometrial cancers in obese women.
Signs and symptoms
A primary challenge in the detection of gynecologic cancers is that many of the signs and symptoms are ones that women experience regularly, be they with menstruation or as side effects from another condition.
Furthermore, symptoms range from woman to woman, so it can be hard to definitively say that each woman will experience the same thing.
“What women need to be looking for is the chronicity and abnormal frequency of symptoms, even if the symptoms are ones that don’t seem out of the ordinary".
While each woman's reaction may be different, the signs and symptoms below are general indicators for each cancer.
It is important for women to use these symptoms as guides, ultimately knowing that they are the only ones who know for certain that there is something atypical, uncomfortable or intolerable about the symptoms they are experiencing.
Cervical Cancer: This begins in the cervix, which is the lower narrow end of the uterus. ( the uterus is also called the womb). Symptoms are:
1. Vaginal bleeding unrelated to one's period.
2. Postmenopausal bleeding.
3. Pain or bleeding during intercourse.
4. Significant or foul-smelling discharge.
Factors that may influence this occurrence includes;
* Age.
* Sexually transmitted diseases.
* Smoking.
* Unlimited number of sexual partners.
* Cervical cancer Human Papilloma virus (HPV) infection.
* Chlamydia infection.
* Early age of intercourse and/or giving birth/Multiple childbirths.
8. Longterm oral contraceptive pill use.
Ovarian Cancer: this begins in the Ovaries, which are located on each side of the uterus.
Symptoms are:
1. Loss of appetite or feeling full quickly.
2. Gas.
3. Bloating.
4. Nausea.
5. Frequent urination.
6. Pelvic pain or pressure.
A gynecologist have associated this ailment with women who are over the age of 50 years.
Other factors that have resulted in to this disease includes:
* Early periods.
* Late menopause.
* Infertility.
* Hormone replacement therapy.
* Giving birth to the first child after the age of 30 years.
* Use of fertility drug
* Family history.
Uterine Cancer: this begins in the uterus, the pear-shaped organ in a woman's Pelvis where the baby grows when a woman is pregnant.
Symptoms are:
1. Postmenopausal bleeding.
2. Irregular bleeding between menstrual cycles.
3. Heavier and/or longer menstrual bleeding.
4. Pelvic pain.
Women who are more than 50 years of age are at a greater risk of developing this type of cancer.
Other risk factors that contribute to the development of this disease include:
* Obesity.
* Diabetes.
* High blood pressure.
This disease occurs when there is a malignant in the tissue of the vagina. The ailment is not common; it is a rare ailment. The most common types being squamous cell cancer which occurs in women who are aged between 60 and 80 years and adenocarcinoma which occurs in women who are between the age of 12 and 30 years. Other risk factors that are known to cause this disease include:
* Age.
* Exposure to diethylstilbestrol which is a drug that is normally prescribed to prevent miscarriage or deliveries that are premature.
Endometrial cancer: this cancer is said to occur when malignant cell from the lining of the uterus becomes cancerous. This disease is curable as long as it is detected early and the treatment started immediately.
This cancer is known to inflict the following:
* People who start menstruation at a tender age.
* It is common in women who attain their menopause later than the rest.
* Infertility and the inability to beget children are also known to cause this disease.
* Obesity.
* High fat diet.
* Diabetes.
* Estrogen replacement therapy.
* Family history.
* It is also worth mentioning here that women’s personal history of breast or pelvic cancer and those who have undergone radiation therapy are at a greater risk of being affected by endometrial cancer.
Vaginal Cancer: this begins in the Vagina, which is the hollow, rube-like channel between the bottom of the uterus and the outside of the body.
Symptoms are:
1. Postmenopausal bleeding.
2. Pain or bleeding during intercourse.
3. Pelvic pain and constipation.
4. Vaginal mass.
Vulvar Cancer: this begins in the Vulvar, the outer part of the female genital organs. Symptoms are:
1. Constant itching and/or burning sensation in the vulva (outer part of female genitals).
2. Change in skin color of the vulva.
3. Including rashes.
4. Sores or warts.
Some of the risk factors that may lead to this includes:
* Chronic vulvar inflammation.
* STDs.
* Genital cancer.
* Smoking.
* Melanoma.
There are things women can do to prevent gynecologic cancer, they include:
* Not smoking.
* Taking oral contraceptives.
* Using condoms.
* Having regular pap smears.
* Reduces the chances of getting the disease.
Prevention and detection
Women undergo different screenings at their annual OBGYN appointment — screenings that can ultimately save their lives if they are positive for cancer. Both the Pap test and HPV test are routinely administered at an OBGYN visit and are conducted during pelvic exams by means of cell collection with a swab.
The Pap test — often referred to as a Pap smear — tests for cervical cancer through the collection of cells from the cervix. The test not only can detect active cancerous cells but can detect changes that may identify a risk for cancer in the future. The Pap test does not screen for cancers beyond cervical. Women as young as 21 will undergo routine Pap tests in their annual OBGYN visit, and their doctor may suggest a schedule for Pap tests moving forward, such as getting one every three years.
The HPV test is similar to the Pap test in the way cells are collected, but it tests more broadly for other types of cancers and human papillomavirus. The current recommendation is that women 30 years and older receive an HPV test in addition to the Pap test at their annual visit.
“We know that, with most malignancies, screening is critical and early detection can help save the life of the woman,” Huh said. “The biggest takeaway for women is to stay mindful of their bodies, report any symptoms that appear even remotely irregular and make sure they have their screenings conducted on a yearly basis. These actions can ultimately save their life.”
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