Causes and types of cancer of the uterus

Cancer of the uterus is divided into cervical cancer and uterine cancer. Cervical cancer occurs in women aged 40-50 years and often is the result of birth injury Birth injuries - than they threaten your child? : Tears of the cervix during labor, followed by replacement of scars, which often develop precancerous lesions.

Uterine cancer is less common than cervical cancer, mostly after the age of 50 years and often against the background of various endocrine disorders. Developed precancerous lesions due to overgrowth of the uterine mucosa during menopause.

How is it treated

For the treatment of cervical cancer used Combined treatments.

Sometimes (depending on the evidence, it is solved individually), first performed the operation. The indications for surgery are:

• age up to 30 years, when the disease is especially malignant;
• forms of cancer insensitive to radiation;
• a recurrence of cancer, which began after the conducted radiation;
• When it is impossible to apply radiotherapy due to changes in the tissues of the vagina;
• the combination of cervical cancer with endometrial cancer.

Depending on the extent of the process is carried out or in part (tapered) removal of the cervix along with the tumor, or (more common in the process), removal of the uterus with appendages and nearby lymph nodes.

Surgical treatment is often combined with radiation therapy. Under the influence of ionizing radiation cancer cells are killed (destroyed their membrane structure of RNA and DNA) and instead grows connective tissue (scar formation). As a separate treatment radiation therapy is administered in the form of gamma intracavitary therapy aimed at the primary site of tumor in combination with external beam radiation directed at the area of ​​regional (lymph node) metastasis. Radiation therapy is contraindicated in pregnancy, presence of purulent foci of the pelvic cavity, acute inflammatory processes in the uterus and adnexal mass (tubes and ovaries) of the uterus.

Before intracavitary gamma-therapy in patients with enema is then injected into the rectum Vaseline oil with anesthetic. After that, the patient is placed on the examination table Gynaecological chair: Take a closer look Where it initially expanding the cervical canal special expanders and then introduced into the radiation source passage.

Drug treatment may be applied in the form of hormone replacement therapy (typically progesterone) with hormone-dependent tumors, or as cytostatic agents (drugs suspending tumor development) - this type of treatment is commonly used in the advanced stages.

For the treatment of patients with cancer of the uterine body and applied surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The surgery usually involves the removal of the uterus with appendages, followed by radiation therapy. When radiotherapy intracavitary radiation combined with remote (to nearby lymph nodes). Gamma intracavitary therapy is carried out by filling the uterine cavity beads cobalt-60 or other sources after dilatation. The duration of treatment exposure - 45-48 hours interval between exposure - about a week, during this period held remote exposure.

In advanced cancer of uterine body, and contraindications to surgery and radiation therapy are used chemotherapy (drug treatment) as hormones (e.g., progesterone) and cytostatics which inhibit tumor growth. Chemotherapy is a cancer of the uterus - the least effective method of treatment.

Prevention

Prevention of cervical cancer is the correct conduct of childbirth, prevention of injuries and ruptures of the cervix. Women whose labors were accompanied by injury of the cervix should be carefully observed gynecologist, as it is in the area of ​​injury often develop precancerous lesions. Early treatment of precancerous lesions is the best prevention of cervical cancer.

Prevention of endometrial cancer is timely treatment of hormonal disorders Hormonal disorders - oversupply and a lack of equally dangerous : Uterine bleeding Uterine bleeding outside of menstruation - a sign of a serious breach , Infertility, and so on. It should also pay attention to the late onset of menopause - it can be one of the symptoms of hormonal imbalance in women older than 50 years.

Active participation in the prevention of cervical cancer can take woman herself, regularly attending antenatal clinics

Galina Romanenko

Structure and function of the larynx

Larynx - is the upper respiratory tract, which is also the body where the votes. The larynx consists of three unpaired (cricoid, the thyroid and the epiglottis) and three paired cartilages - arytenoid, rozhkovidnyh and wedge. Cartilage interconnected cartilage and strengthened muscles.

The cavity of the larynx in the frontal section (as if it was split from top to bottom plane parallel to the face) resembles an hourglass. The upper, extended department called vestibule, the average narrowed, formed the vocal folds, the lower is called infraglottic cavity.

The causes of cancer of the larynx

The most common cancer of the larynx occurs against a background of some pre-existing diseases of the larynx: benign tumors, metabolic disorders, inflammatory processes. Thus, the development of cancer with chronic laryngitis Chronic laryngitis Disease teachers   observed in the period from 5 to 13 years. Has the value of the increase in the environment oncogenic substances, the impact of professional and household hazards (smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages) From the occupational hazards of particular importance are the combination of systemic adverse climatic conditions that lead to chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract, and the inhalation of various derivatives of petroleum or coal dust (firemen, machinists, drivers).

Most often, the eve of laryngeal cancer is affected, then the actual voice box (middle office), and much less - infraglottic cavity. By the nature of tumor growth are three basic forms of cancer of the larynx:

• exophytic or papillary; the tumor has a wide base with a rather sharp edges and small infiltration of underlying tissue;
• endophytic or infiltrative ulcer; tumor infiltration with ulceration has no clear boundaries; most malignant form, which often grows into adjacent organs and metastasizes Metastasis - danger everywhere ;
• mixed - a combination of exophytic and endophytic.

Signs of laryngeal cancer

The symptoms of laryngeal cancer depend largely on its location. In cancer of the larynx vestibule of the patient a feeling of discomfort, choking and pain when swallowing. However, these symptoms often manifest themselves in the process has already spread. Silent disease in the early stages contribute to the fact that laryngeal cancer is often detected at later stages.

With the defeat of cancer of the vocal folds early signs of the disease appear even for small tumors. The earliest symptom is persistent hoarseness, increasing the growth of the tumor and turning into a full Athos (no votes). It may appear as coughing and difficulty breathing, which means that the tumor has grown into the thickness of the cartilage.

In cancer in podskladochnom department appears quite early difficulty breathing, as the tumor is located in the narrowest part of the larynx. Hoarseness appears when the tumor moves to the vocal fold.

Many of the signs (cough with blood, bad breath Breath (halitosis) - is sometimes useful to close the mouth Bleeding) seen in any form of cancer. With the growth of the tumor observed reconfiguration of the cartilage of the larynx, the smoothness of their contours. There are pain radiating to the ears, or the pain associated with swallowing, violated the act of swallowing. At this stage of the disease is possible ingress of saliva or food into the respiratory tract, often leads to the development of pneumonia Pneumonia - Symptoms and Causes .

Diagnostics

For the detection of cancer of the larynx, above all, produce inspection and palpation of the neck of the larynx. It gives a lot for the correct diagnosis - it is possible to determine its mobility, the state of the surrounding lymph nodes.

Furthermore inspection using instrumental methods: oral examination of the larynx using a special device - a laryngoscope, radiological methods of research, laboratory research is taken a piece of the tumor tissue.

Treatment

Depending on the location, form and stage of the tumor using a variety of therapies: surgery, radiation therapy and combined. In cancer of stages I-II of the three divisions of the larynx, generally applied one of the methods of radiotherapy. In some cases (with a limited tumor stage I-II middle and lower parts of) the operation is carried out resection of the larynx. In cancer of the larynx vestibule held combined treatment: preoperative radiation followed by surgery removal of the larynx.

Laryngeal cancer is easier to detect if the appearance of the first signs of it in the form of voice disorders or compulsive cough seem audiologist.

Galina Romanenko