Prognosis of Cervical Cancer
A prognostic factor is defined as «A situation or
condition, or a characteristic of a patient, that can be used to estimate the
chance of recovery from a disease or the chance of the disease recurring».
Researching prognostic factors for cervical cancer is very important because
the disease is so common and can spread so quickly.
Early Detection
One of the most important prognostic factors involves how early the cancer is detected and how far it has spread. Women who undergo annual pelvic exams and Pap smears have a greater chance of detecting any abnormalities or cancerous tissue during the early stages. This can play a crucial role regarding the chances of treating the cancer successfully or having the disease come back. Many procedures such as radiotherapy, cryotherapy, laser treatment or chemotherapy may be effective in removing all the cancerous tissue if the cancer is detected early enough and is restricted to the cervix area. Unfortunately, a patient’s chance of survival decreases if the cervical cancer has not been detected early enough and spreads to other parts of the body.
Stages Of Cervical Cancer
The various stages of cervical cancer also affect the chance of recovery or prognosis of the patient.
· Stage 1 Cancer is confined to the cervix area
· Stage 2 Cancer has spread beyond the cervix but is confined to pelvic area
· Stage 3 Cancer has spread to the pelvic wall or lower part of the vagina
· Stage 4 Cancer has spread to other organs or parts of the body
Cervical cancer is also categorized by the following stages of dysplasia or abnormal development in the organ or cells:
· Stage 1 Mild Cervical Dysplasia
· Stage 2 Moderate Dysplasia
· Stage 3 Severe Dysplasia
The initial stages have a much higher success rate if treated early enough. However, the third stage is the most severe and occurs once the disease has spread to other parts of the body or destroyed surrounding organs.
Size Of The Tumor
Tumors are abnormal masses of tissue which can be either normal benign growths or malignant cancerous ones. The size of the cancerous cells or tumor is another prognostic factor for cervical cancer patients. Because cancer cells can divide very rapidly, it’s crucial to detect the disease while the tumors are still relatively small. In fact, a tumor starts from a single cell so smaller masses of cancerous cells are less likely to spread. In most cases, doctors are able to successfully treat small detected tumors.
Types Of Cervical Cancer
Prognostic factors are also determined by the type of cervical cancer you contract. Approximately 75% of patients are diagnosed with squamous cell cervical cancer and approximately 10% of patients have adenocarcinoma cervical cancer. A much smaller number of patients develop a form of cancer containing elements of both types. Less than 1% of the population will develop another very rare form of this disease. Certain types of cervical cancer don’t respond as well to treatment.
Resources/Links:
You can visit the Health Resource at http://www.thehealthresource.com/cancer_info/cervical_cancer3.cfm to read more about the various types of cervical cancer.You can obtain more information about the stages of cervical cancers at http://www.information-on-cervical-cancer.com/html/staging-and-prognosis.php3.
This page was last updated:
April 2, 2007
It is not the intention of Cervicalcancer.org to provide specific medical advice, but rather to provide users with information to better understand their health and their diagnosed disorders. Specific medical advice will not be provided, and Cervicalcancer.org urges you to consult with a qualified physician for diagnosis and for answers to your personal questions.