Friend has cervical cancer.?!


Question: Friend has cervical cancer..?
My friend is 25 and is 7 months preg and the dr had found very small amounts of cervical cancer. What kind of treatment should she expect the dr said he wants to wait till 6 week PP. anyways she was too upset to talk about it. He said its "the slow acting kind" also she is 25 and before this she lied to her dr was on depo but had said she and her husband have been trying for a year so they had her on alot of hormones and had 5 miscarriages in 1 year before this one. could that have caused the cancer.?Health Question & Answer


Answers:
Cervical cancer is caused by HPV, and pregnancy depresses the immune system and thus the body's ability to fight off HPV. So, the cancer probably doesn't have to do with the miscarriages, but it could have to do with the pregnancy. This is a theory, but there are no studies to back it up.

Sometimes just removal of the cancer is all that's necessary. They can do this by a cone biopsy where a cone shaped piece of the cervix is removed. There is also a procedure called a trahcelectomy where the entire cervix is removed. If the woman get pregnant again, she would have to be monitored very closely to prevent preterm birth, and then she would give birth via c-section.

If she's doesn't want more kids, by far the simplest way to eliminate the cancer is hysterectomy. If it's in an early stage, usually radiation is not needed.

also, I would check with your friend. Does she hav invasive cancer.? Or does she have carcinoma in situ.? Carcinoma in situ is basically cancer cells, but they haven't left there usual location on the surface of the cervix. Carcinoma in situ only has about a 25% of becoming invasive EVER, and only about a 3% chance of becoming invasive if left untreated for a year. Carcinoma in situ is VERY treatable. They will basically just remove the tissue, and the "cure" rate is about 95% . . . meaning there is a 95% chance she won;t need any further treatment (other than close follow up of course.

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Geoffry J needs to get is facts straight. I was diagnosed with cervical cancer at 26, and I know I didn't have HPV until I was 25! I know someone else who was diagnosed at 22! This woman in the UK, Jade Goody, just died at 27! It's true the average age for cervical cancer is over 40, but it happens to younger women all the time!

Squamous cell cervical cancer (the most common type) usually takes 10 years to develop, so it is slow moving. But she's 25, so it not impossible for her to have gotten HPV at 15. also, adenocarcinoma develops much faster. I'm assuming because your friend's doctor said it's the slow moving kind, that it's carcinoma and not adenocarcinoma.

I highly suspect your friend has carcinoma in situ and not invasive cancer. It's not that I don't believe her, and I'm not trying to discount the seriousness of her diagnosis! It's just her doctor's treatment plan includes waiting for a while, and usually they don't like to wait if it's invasive. But like I said, it usually takes a long time to go from carcinoma in situ to invasive cancer, and carcinoma in situ is VERY treatable, and waiting for treatment in this case is definitely okay.

I also recommend to your friend to get a second opinion!! She should get copies of her pathology reports herself and read them. Then she will be prepared to ask what exactly everything on there means.

also, there is this clinical trial at Johns Hopkins for a theaputic vaccine! The vaccine is supposed to stop the cells from going from "in situ" to invasive. If she is anywhere close to Baltimore, please research it! Or email me and I'll give you more info.Health Question & Answer

it sounds like she has some cancerous cells and this is easily treated. the doc will probably laser or burn them off in a very simple procedure. She will then have to go for regular pap smears to ensure all the bad cells are gone.

The most likely reason for the cancerous cells is HPV. A huge number of women have this and it can cause the cells in the cervix to change and if left untreated become cancerous. It can take years for these types of cells to grow and become life threatening.Health Question & Answer

Oh dear... this is tricky... Cancer is not caused by miscarriages.

She needs to be given support but not made to talk if she doesnt want to... be her friend and guide her through this.Health Question & Answer

Cervical cancer in someone that young is wildly improbable. The typical age for cervical cancer is over 40, and it takes a good 10 years to develop from the point of infection. The fact that your friend is prone to lie when it comes to medical problems tells me that she's probably lying about having cancer. Particularly by saying "the slow acting kind", which is a nonexistent category in medicine. also, birth control hormones don't cause cancer.

Still, let's pretend she's not lying. The first option is surgery to remove the tumor. This is always the best option, when possible, and her ability to have future children will not be a consideration. Her hypothetical future kids aren't the patient being treated. She is, and her survival is the only priority of the procedure.

If surgery is not feasible, then she'll go through radiation and possibly chemotherapy. Overall her prognosis will be very good, but her odds of keeping a healthy reproductive system (if ever she had one) are not.Health Question & Answer

Hormones don't cause cervical cancer, and neither do miscarriages. About 70% of all cervical cancers are related to infection with Human Papilloma Virus strains 16, 18, 31 & 45. Patients should not lie to their doctors about the medications they are taking, sexual history, etc. if they want to receive the best medical care. And it's unethical and illegal for doctors to lie to their patients. The doctor was right on telling her that she has to wait until after the baby is delivered to treat her condition. Cervical cancer in young females can quickly spread if left untreated, but is highly curable if discovered and treated when in its early stages [Carcinoma In Situ]. So your friend needs to seek treatment ASAP after delivery. As a health professional I'm ethically and legally bound to tell you the truth, so these are my recommendations:

-Your friend should get a second medical opinion, either with a Oncology Gynecologist or a High-risk Obstetrician [medical mistakes do happen, and it's better to get a second or third opinion].
-She should switch to another OB/GYN, one that specializes on high-risk pregnancies, because cervical cancer in pregnant women can increase the chances of premature birth, and she will most likely will have to be delivered via Cesarean section.
-She should get another PAP smear and a Colposcopy done ASAP, and a cervical biopsy after the delivery.
-She should ask her doctor about getting the Gardasil vaccine series after delivery.

Check the following sites for additional, extensive information about cervical cancer in pregnancy, causes and prevention:

http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/cervica...
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/under...
http://www.webmd.com/cancer/tc/cervical-...
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types...
http://www.cervicalcancer.org/causes.htm...
http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/STDFact-HPV-v...
http://www.gardasil.com/Health Question & Answer

I'm an OB/GYN Nurse Specialist.
I was diagnosed with Cervical Carcinoma in Situ in 1994, treated, and with no recurrences to date.
In late 2007 my Gyno misdiagnosed me with a venereal wart; I insisted that it didn't look like a venereal wart to me {I've seen plenty of them}. He refused to do a biopsy of it, and the treatment he prescribed [Aldara cream] made the single lesion worse. I got a second medical opinion with a Oncologist Gyno, had a biopsy done, and it turned out to be Cancer of the Vulva; it occurs in 1 out of 100,000 women and 90% of cases are diagnosed on patients over 75 y/o {I'm 40}. A case of medical malpractice, and a Lawsuit is underway against the Gyno that misdiagnosed me in the first place.Health Question & Answer



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