Contents:
- Medical Video: Cervical Cancer Staging
- Development of cervical cancer stage
- What does it mean if you are declared to have stage 4 cervical cancer?
- Life expectancy of stage 4 cervical cancer patients
- Treatment that can be done for stage 4 cervical cancer
Medical Video: Cervical Cancer Staging
Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that appears on a woman's cervix. In Indonesia, the number of people with cervical cancer is very high. Therefore cervical cancer is called the number 1 female killer in Indonesia in addition to breast cancer.
For patients with cervical cancer, information about the stage of cancer is very important, because this will help doctors to take appropriate treatment measures for patients. In addition to helping doctors determine their actions, the stage of cancer also helps cervical cancer patients to truly understand the health conditions they are experiencing.
Development of cervical cancer stage
Stadium on cancer is used to describe the spread of tumors in cancer types such as where the cancer is located, the location of its spread, and how it affects the body at the time of diagnosis. Stage of cancer is an important part of determining a treatment plan that the doctor will do later.
The FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) and AJCC (American Joint Committee on Cancer) have developed a system for cancer stage. Based on these two systems, the development of cervical cancer is divided into 5 stages based on tumor size, the depth of penetration in the cervix, and the spread of cancer inside and outside the cervix.
In general, the stages of cervical cancer are as follows:
- Stage 0: In this stage abnormal cells are only on the surface of the cervix, such as the growth of cervical epithelial tissue.
- Stage I: Cancer growth is still limited in the uterine part. There are a number of small tumors that have not spread to parts of the lymph nodes or other areas.
- Stage II: Cancer has spread to the cervix but not to the pelvic wall, and the cancer has invaded the vagina but has not reached 1/3 of the lower vagina.
- Stage III: the cancer has spread to the pelvic wall, besides the tumor attacks 1/3 of the lower vagina; in all cases there was also found hydronephrosis or a non-functioning kidney.
- Stage IV: the cancer has spread to the bladder or rectum, or to other areas of the body.
What does it mean if you are declared to have stage 4 cervical cancer?
Stage 4 cancer is also known as metastatic or advanced cancer. Stage 4 cervical cancer is generally detected from abnormal pelvic examinations or symptoms produced by patients who have cancer. After carrying out the examination, stage 4 cancer is said to exist if the cancer has spread into other organs adjacent to the cervix or extends to other body parts.
Stage 4 cervical cancer is separated into two subcategories, namely:
- Stage 4A: in this situation the cancer has spread to organs adjacent to the cervix such as the bladder or rectum, but not to the lymph nodes.
- Stage 4B: in this situation, the cancer has spread to a further location in the body such as spreading to parts of the bones, lungs or liver.
Life expectancy of stage 4 cervical cancer patients
Based on the diagnosis made National Cancer Data Base in patients with cervical cancer in 2000 and 2002, five-year life expectancy (5 Years Survival Rate) if cervical cancer is known and treated in stage 4 about 16%. Whereas stage IVB cancer has a survival rate of 5 years after diagnosis of around 15%. However, there are often treatment options available for women with cancer stages.
Remember, this survival rate is only an estimate - and this percentage cannot predict what will happen to each individual. Talk to your doctor to better understand the situation more clearly.
Treatment that can be done for stage 4 cervical cancer
Various factors ultimately influence the patient's decision to carry out cancer treatment. The purpose of carrying out cancer treatment is of course to reduce symptoms by controlling the development of cancer, increasing the chance of patients to recover, or prolonging the survival of patients. In carrying out cancer treatment, care must be taken because the potential risks in carrying out cancer treatment cannot be considered trivial.
Stage 4 cervical cancer patients are recommended for a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is X-ray treatment that has the ability to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy is done by illuminating the body using X-rays or by inserting a small capsule containing radioactive material directly near the cervix (internal radiation or implant).
Most patients will do both types of radiation therapy during treatment. Radiation therapy for cervical cancer is given to outpatients for 4 to 6 weeks.
