Symptoms That May Indicate Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is   the development of a malignant tumor of the lining of the cervix. This cancer is considered to be a slowly evolving tumor condition of infectious origin. In the majority of cases, cervical cancer occurs after prolonged exposure to the  human papillomavirus  (HPV).

Causes 

Cervical cancer is the  consequence of persistent infection with an  oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV). There are more than 100 types of HPV but two of them, HPV 16 and 18, are responsible for around 70% of cervical cancers in industrialized countries, such as France.

Increasingly present in industrialized countries, uterine cancer seems to have overweight and obesity as the main risk factor.

But other people are at risk:

• Women in post-menopause
• Women who have had late menopause and/or early puberty
• Women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
• Women with ovarian tumors.
• Women treated with tamoxifen (prescribed against certain breast cancers) may have an increased risk of uterine cancer. But this risk is low, compared to the benefits of the treatment.

Symptoms

Cervical cancer often   develops without causing any particular symptoms, particularly at an early stage. This is why it is essential to have gynecological follow-up with  cervico-uterine smears  in order to detect it as early as possible.

There is also a set of symptoms which are not specific to  cervical cancer,  but whose persistence or intensity may suggest a tumor:

• Provoked metrorrhagia  : which corresponds to vaginal bleeding caused by sexual intercourse .
• Spontaneous metrorrhagia  : which is bleeding appearing without apparent causes .
• Pain during sexual intercourse.
• White vaginal discharge.
• Pain in the lower abdomen with difficulty urinating, a pressing and continuous urge to have a bowel movement.
• Lower back pain.