Cervical Cancer - Treatment Signs and Symptoms

Introduction

  • The fourth most common cancer in women and the leading cause of mortality in women worldwide
  • The third most common cancer among women in Malaysia in 2017; seventh in Hong Kong in 2018; second in the Philippines and Indonesia in 2020
  • Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common cause of cervical cancer

Types of Cervical Carcinoma

  • Squamous cell carcinoma: Most common type
  • Adenocarcinoma
  • Other types, eg neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix (NECC), adenoma malignum

Signs and Symptoms

  • The earliest stages of cervical carcinoma are generally asymptomatic
  • Abnormal vaginal bleeding initially as postcoital bleeding, later becoming profuse
  • Vaginal discharge
  • Lower back pain, pelvic pain
  • Dyspareunia
  • Dysuria