Cervical Cancer

Types | Causes | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Stages | Treatment

Cervical cancer or cancer of the cervix is an abnormal growth of malignant (cancer) cells  in the cervix. It is the second most common cancer in females and it is successfully curable in the early stages. Cervical cancer occurs most commonly between 40 and 55  years of age. 

The cervix is the opening of the uterus connected to the upper vagina. It is known as the neck of the uterus. The lower end of the cervix has an opening called the external os, and before childbirth it is about 5mm in diameter. It dilates to 10cm during labour  to allow for childbirth and never regains its former shape, changing to a slit approximately 7mm long.  Normally the cervix is pink in colour but turns bluish in pregnancy because of an increased blood supply.

The surface layer of the cervix is made up of two different types of cells, flat cells called squamous cells and tall column-like gland cells called columnar cells. This produces a mucous membrane, but the mucous membrane of the cervix is smooth. The place where squamous and columnar cells meet is known as the transformation zone and this is the area of the cervix where cancer most commonly arises.  The cancer cells may be present in the cervix for 4-10 years before becoming invasive, affecting the deeper tissues and giving rise to symptoms. Even when the cancer is invasive , there is an 80% chance of successful cure. Once it spreads through the pelvis to the vagina, uterus, bladder or rectum, it is much more difficult to cure. 

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Breast Cancer

Causes | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Stages | Treatment

Sometimes abnormal cells develop in the breast tissue, forming a lump or tumor. This is the most common type of cancer in women. 

The breast has several lobes, which are dividedinto lobules and end in the milk glands. Tiny ducts run from the many tinyglands, connect together, and end in the nipple. Anytissue in the breast can be affected and it will destroy the nearby tissuesalso.  Usually the cancer arises from tissue that forms milk ducts. Thereare at least 15 different  kinds, depending on the site  ofdevelopment . Both women and men can develop breast cancer, but it is very rarein men.

Breast cancer occurs more commonly in the leftbreast than the right and more commonly in the outer upper quadrant. The tumormay distort the shape of the breast or the texture of the skin as it becomeslarger. It can be detected when it grow large enough to either be felt or seenon a mammogram.  

The cancer cells spread through the specialisedchannels in the breast called lymphatics to the lymph nodes to form tumors. Italso spread or metasize to the other parts of the body through the blood stream.It spreads through the right side of the heart to the lungs, and eventually tothe other breasts, the chest wall, liver, bone and brain. Spreading of the tumorto other parts of the body can cause death.

Breast cancer can be classified by histologicappearance and location of the lesion. 

• Adenocarcinoma - arising from the epithelium.
  
• Intraductal - developing within the ducts
  
• Infiltrating - Occurring in parenchyma of the breast.
  
• Inflammatory - reflecting rapid tumor growth, in which the overlying skin become edematous, inflamed and in-durated.
  
• Lobular carcinoma in situ - reflecting tumor growth involving lobes of glandular tissue.
  
• Medullary or circumscribed - large tumor with rapid growth rate.
  

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