Cervical cancer is usually a squamous cell carcinoma caused by human papilloma virus (HPV) infection; less often, it is an adenocarcinoma ("Merck Manuals," 2013). It is asymptomatic in its early stage. The first symptom is usually irregular, often postcoital bleeding. Signs and symptoms of a more advanced cervical cancer usually include vaginal bleeding after intercourse, between periods or after menopause; watery, bloody vaginal discharge that may be heavy and have a foul odor; and pelvic pain or pain during intercourse.
Risk factors for cervical cancer are the following ("Mayo Clinic," 2015):
• Multiple sexual partners. Many sexual partners increases the chances of acquiring HPV.
• Early sexual activity. Having sex at an early stage proves more risky to the development of HPV infection. …show more content…
It uses a standard set of terms to report cell changes. Squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) is used to describe squamous cell changes and is graded as low (least severe) or high (most severe). The dysplasia or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) descriptions may also be reported along with the Bethesda system. CIN means that abnormal cells were found on the surface of the cervix ("National Cancer Institute," 2014). CIN is usually caused by certain types of HPV. CIN is not cancer, but may become cancer and spread to normal tissue if not treated. Examples of Pap test results are the following:
• ASC-US. Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance is the most common abnormal Pap test finding but the exact cause cannot be identified. It may be due to infection, polyps, hormonal changes, but they are not related to cancer. With these findings, an HPV test is usually done or the Pap testing may be repeated in 12 months.
• AGC. Atypical Glandular Cells means that some glandular cells were found that do not look normal. More testing is recommended like colposcopy and
Risk factors for cervical cancer are the following ("Mayo Clinic," 2015):
• Multiple sexual partners. Many sexual partners increases the chances of acquiring HPV.
• Early sexual activity. Having sex at an early stage proves more risky to the development of HPV infection. …show more content…
It uses a standard set of terms to report cell changes. Squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) is used to describe squamous cell changes and is graded as low (least severe) or high (most severe). The dysplasia or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) descriptions may also be reported along with the Bethesda system. CIN means that abnormal cells were found on the surface of the cervix ("National Cancer Institute," 2014). CIN is usually caused by certain types of HPV. CIN is not cancer, but may become cancer and spread to normal tissue if not treated. Examples of Pap test results are the following:
• ASC-US. Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance is the most common abnormal Pap test finding but the exact cause cannot be identified. It may be due to infection, polyps, hormonal changes, but they are not related to cancer. With these findings, an HPV test is usually done or the Pap testing may be repeated in 12 months.
• AGC. Atypical Glandular Cells means that some glandular cells were found that do not look normal. More testing is recommended like colposcopy and