100% satisfaction guarantee Immediately available after payment Both online and in PDF No strings attached
logo-home
reproduction 2-usmlerx bricks $7.99
Add to cart

Exam (elaborations)

reproduction 2-usmlerx bricks

 0 purchase
  • Course
  • Institution

reproduction system for the usmle step 1 exams

Preview 4 out of 314  pages

  • November 30, 2022
  • 314
  • 2022/2023
  • Exam (elaborations)
  • Questions & answers
avatar-seller
Cervical Cancer
Last Updated: May 6, 2022
access_time15 min
Learning Objectives (5)
After completing this brick, you will be able to:
● Define cervical cancer.
● 1

● Describe the clinical presentation of cervical cancer.
● 2
● Describe the pathogenesis of cervical cancer, including the role of
human papillomavirus.
● 3
● Explain the diagnosis of cervical epithelial changes, including the
cytologic grading levels used for the findings from a Pap test.
● 4
● Explain how cervical cancer can be prevented and treated.
● 5

CASE CONNECTION




TS is a 14-year-old female who is seeing you for a physical before
entering high school. “I'm going to be a freshman this year, and I’m
both nervous and excited. I'm going to try out for the soccer team,”
she says. “I am pretty good midfielder.” As part of her routine
physical, you review her immunization record. “Let’s see, looks like
you’re a little overdue for one particular vaccine.” You turn to her
mother as you begin to explain further.

,What immunization is due at this time? How will you explain to her
mother why this is an important preventive measure? Consider your
answers as you read, and we’ll revisit TS at the end of the brick.




What Is Cervical Cancer?

Only 100 years ago, cervical cancer was the number 1 cause of cancer
death among women. But in the 1920s, George Papanicolaou, a Greek
physician living in New York, developed a test used to screen women
for cervical cancer, which is why it is called the Papanicolaou test, or
more commonly, the Pap test. After the widespread adoption of the
Pap test, deaths due to cervical cancer decreased by 70%.


Later, in the 1970s, Harald zur Hausen detected the human
papillomavirus (HPV) in warts and cervical cancer. Not only did this
discovery earn him the Nobel prize, it led to the development of the
HPV vaccine, which can prevent cervical cancer from ever
developing.


The association with viral infection means cervical cancer is a
uniquely preventable carcinoma (epithelial cancer). Although most
HPV infections resolve spontaneously, HPV can cause slow changes
in cervical epithelial cells, which may eventually become malignant.

,However, this process may take years, and prevention efforts are
rendering it less common.


Compared with healthy cells, HPV-infected cervical epithelial cells
have characteristic changes (dysplasia) that can be detected via
microscopy. This makes screening for dysplasia an easy task.
Screening allows intervention to keep dysplasia from progressing to
cervical carcinoma or to keep carcinoma from spreading and causing
death.


Screening tools and vaccines against HPV are the key to preventing
this devastating cancer, which is still a common cause of death in
countries where screening is less common. (It is the second most
common cancer in such areas.) The incidence in the United States is
now 4-5 cases per 100,000 per year (compared with 124 cases per
100,000 per year for breast cancer).


Established risk factors for cervical cancer include HPV infection,
diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure, smoking, and an
immunocompromised state (eg, due to HIV infection or drug therapy
to prevent transplant rejection).



How Does a Patient with Cervical
Cancer Present?

, Remember from anatomy that the cervix is a barrel-shaped structure
that lies between the uterus and vagina (Figure 1). The vaginal surface
of the cervix is called the ectocervix (ecto = outer), while the inner
lining or canal is called the endocervix (endo = internal). The
ectocervix is made of squamous cells, and the endocervix consists of
columnar cells.




Figure 1

The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.

Quick and easy check-out

Quick and easy check-out

You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.

Focus on what matters

Focus on what matters

Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!

Frequently asked questions

What do I get when I buy this document?

You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.

Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?

Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.

Who am I buying these notes from?

Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller suvieshapillai. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.

Will I be stuck with a subscription?

No, you only buy these notes for $7.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.

Can Stuvia be trusted?

4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)

73527 documents were sold in the last 30 days

Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 15 years now

Start selling
$7.99
  • (0)
Add to cart
Added