Cervical Cancer Risks and Causes

In 2003, approximately 2,800 women in the UK alone were diagnosed with cervical cancer. With women under 35 years old, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer to be diagnosed, with two out of every 1000 cancers being cervical cancer. Severely abnormal cervical cancer smears diagnose approximately 24,000 women every year. In England alone, an average of 4.4million cervical smear tests are carried out yearly. (http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page= 138)

There are lymph nodes around the womb and cervix, with large groups of lymph nodes in the groin. Lymph nodes make up the lymphatic system, which runs throughout the body. The lymphatic system protects the body against infection, as-well as filtering, draining and circulating tissue fluid around the body. The lymph nodes can play an important role in treating cancer, as cancer cells often spread to the lymph nodes. Surgery to remove the infected lymph nodes could result in some of the cancer being removed.

Causes of cervical cancer can include the following:

HPV Infection Human Papilloma Virus.

HPV can cause squamous cell cancer (skin cancer), and adenocarcinoma (a cancer of the glandular tissue), which are two types of cervical cancer. Some types of HPV can be considered high risk, and if there is an infection with more than one type of HPV, then there is a higher risk of developing precancerous cells on the cervix, than an infection with only one type of HPV. Women who are diagnosed with cervical cancer, have often had an HPV infection in the past; although not all women who get a HPV infection go on to develop cervical cancer.

Smoking.

Smoking can lead to the squamous cell cervical cancer developing. The benzpyrene from cigarette smoke has been found in the cervical mucus of women who smoke, and it is chemicals such as benzpyrene that can cause cancer. Langerhans cells are in the lining of the cervix, and fight against the disease, although they do not work so well in smokers due to the effect of chemicals such as benzpyrene.

A Weakened Immune System.

This increases the chances of developing a disease, people with HIV or AIDS for example, and has an HPV Infection as-well, or people, who have had organ transplants, or surgery, are at increased risk of developing cervical cancer. The immune system protects healthy cells from those that have become abnormal, killing off the unhealthy cells, and preventing them from becoming cancerous.

Related Article:
Breast Cancer Treatment