The first line of defence against any disease is awareness. This is the major purpose of Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month campaigns worldwide; recognizing the need for awareness about the disease, and educating people to identify the symptoms and know what to do when they have these symptoms. It is with this aim that cancer organizations all around the world consider September as Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month. Gynecologic Cancer is an umbrella term used to denote all the types of cancers that start in a woman's reproductive organs.
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There are mainly five types of gynecologic cancer-
There are also cancers such as Gestational Trophoblastic Disease and Primary Peritoneal cancer that come under Gynecologic Cancer, but these are comparatively rare occurrences. Gynecologic Cancer Awareness provides an excellent opportunity to put the spotlight on this disease and provide crucial information on the signs, risk factors, prevention strategies and treatment options of the disease.
Gynecologic Cancers are often hard to diagnose and are mostly diagnosed in the third or fourth stage of cancer. Therefore, recognizing the silent symptoms is very important for early diagnosis and cure.
Each type of Gynecologic Cancer has different symptoms, and most of them are hard to recognize. Therefore women must pay attention to their bodies and take note of the slightest abnormalities. If these abnormalities stay for a longer period, then you should consult a doctor. Some of the common signs of Gynecologic Cancer, according to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention are
Uterine cancer is the most common type of Gynecologic Cancer among women. It is a cancer that forms in the different tissues of the uterus, the most common being endometrial cancer.
Risk Factors of Uterine Cancer
Ovarian cancer is the cancer that starts in the ovaries. While it accounts for about 3% of cancers in women, Ovarian Cancer is the leading cause of death among women due to cancer. WhileOvarian Cancer can be easily treated if diagnosed at an early stage, only 20% of cases are found at this stage. This is because most of the symptoms of Ovarian cancer are hard to find, and there aren't any screening tests that are recommended for women without any symptoms. Due to this, Ovarian Cancer is also known as the silent Cancer.
Risk Factors of Ovarian Cancer
Cervical Cancer occurs in the tissues of the cervix. There are usually no symptoms of Cervical Cancer but can be found with a screening test called a Pap Test or HPV Test. At later stages, the symptoms such as vaginal discharge or bleeding and pain during sex may appear, which should be immediately consulted. The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) causes almost all Cervical Cancers, and therefore at the early stages, it can be treated with an HPV vaccine.
Risk Factors of Cervical Cancer
The cancer that starts in the vagina is Vaginal Cancer. It is a rare form of cancer with a survival rate. Pain and abnormal vaginal bleeding are the most common symptoms of vaginal cancers.
Risk Factors of Vaginal Cancer
Vulvar cancer is a comparatively rare disease in which cancer forms in the tissues of the vulva, the female genitalia. Vulvar cancer accounts for about 5 % of all gynecologic cancers and is mostly associated with HPV infection, just like cervical or vaginal cancer. Vulvar Cancers can be detected in regular gynecologic check-ups and can be treated with HPV vaccines.
Risk Factors of Vulvar Cancer
The comforting factor about Gynecologic Cancers is that regular screenings can find most of these cancers early enough, and early diagnosis of Gynecologic Cancers can aid in a better prognosis. Also, some gynecologic cancers such as cervical, vaginal and vulvar cancers can be prevented with the HPV vaccine and lifestyle changes.
There are several tests, such as the Pap Test and the HPV test, which can diagnose these cancers quickly. The HPV test looks for HPV infection and can be used in combination with a Pap test to screen for cervical, vaginal and vulvar cancers.
The most effective method to screen for Gynecologic Cancers is to be aware of your body so that even the slightest changes can be noted.
Gynecologic cancers have several treatment procedures that differ according to factors such as the kind of cancer, its stage, area of growth age and vitals of the patient. The most common treatment procedures used are:
Surgery
Surgeons remove the cancer tissues in operation. In most cases, this will be followed by cycles of chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Chemotherapy
Using drugs to eliminate the cancer cells. The drugs can be orally taken or administered through the veins. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy is an innovative treatment procedure that delivers the drugs directly into the abdominal cavity using a catheter. This reduces drug exposure to healthy cells.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy procedure aims to stimulate the immune system to help the body fight cancer cells better.
Hormone therapy
Treatment procedure that uses hormones to treat and prevent recurrences of cancer cells.
Radiation therapy
In this treatment therapy, high-energy rays are used to kill the cancer. It can be used as a primary or post-operative method of treatment. Brachytherapy is an advanced kind of radiotherapy which kills the cancer cells without affecting the surrounding organs.
The treatment procedures of Gynecologic Cancer are becoming more innovative and better with focus given on minimizing the effects of the treatment on the nearby healthy organs and tissues. Extensive research is focused on saving the reproductive organs with minimal damage in younger women who haven't conceived yet, giving them a chance to become mothers.
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The increased awareness has successfully brought down the death rates of Gynecologic Cancers such as Cervical Cancer in the last 40 years. A large number of women are getting screened and doing Pap Smears. This is just the beginning. As more women get screened and diagnosed early, cancer can be treated as any other regular disease, and this is the objective aimed at awareness campaigns like Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month.
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