Gynecologic Oncology and Pelvic SurgeryWe treat the whole patient not just the disease

Types of Cancer

Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. Cancer is always named for the part of the body where it starts, even if it spreads to other body parts later.

Cervical Cancer

Almost all cervical cancers are caused by HPV, a common virus that can be passed from one person to another during sex. You are more likely to get HPV if you started having sex at an early age, or if you or your partner have had sex with several others. However, any woman who has ever had sex is at risk for HPV.
There are many types of HPV. For most women, HPV will go away on its own; however, if it does not, there is a chance that, over time, it may cause cervical cancer.

There are two tests that can help prevent cervical cancer or find it early:

  • The Pap test (or Pap smear) looks for pre-cancers, cell changes on the cervix that might become cervical cancer if they are not treated appropriately.
  • The HPV test looks for the virus that can cause these cell changes.

The Pap test is recommended for all women. Talk with your doctor, nurse, or other health care professional about whether the HPV test is right for you. The most important thing you can do to avoid getting cervical cancer is to have regular Pap tests. Learn more about getting the Pap test to screen for cervical cancer.

Getting the HPV Vaccine

If you are 11–26 years old, you can help prevent cervical cancer by getting the HPV vaccine. It protects against the types of HPV that most often cause cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers, and is given in a series of three shots. The vaccine is recommended for girls 11 to 12 years old. It also can be given to females 13–26 who did not get any or all of the shots when they were younger. Read the CDC’s recommendations on the use of the HPV vaccine among United States females aged 9 to 26 years old.

More Steps to Help Prevent Cervical Cancer

These things may also help lower your risk for cervical cancer:

  • Don’t smoke.
  • Use condoms during sex.
  • Limit your number of sexual partners.

 

Ovarian Cancer

Among women in the United States, ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer death, after lung and bronchus, breast, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers.* Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. But when ovarian cancer is found in its early stages, treatment can be most effective. There is no way to know for sure if you will get ovarian cancer. Most women get it without being at high risk, however, several factors (see right) may increase the chance that you will get ovarian cancer.

Steps to Help Prevent Ovarian Cancer

There is no known way to prevent ovarian cancer. But these things may lower your chance of getting ovarian cancer:
  • Having used birth control pills for more than five years.
  • Having had a tubal ligation (getting your tubes tied), both ovaries removed, or a hysterectomy (an operation in which the uterus, and sometimes the cervix, is removed).
  • Having given birth.

Screening Tests

There is no simple and reliable way to test for ovarian cancer in women who do not have any signs or symptoms. The Pap test does not check for ovarian cancer; however, here are steps you can take:

  • Pay attention to your body, and know what is normal for you.
  • If you notice any changes in your body that are not normal for you and could be a sign of ovarian cancer, talk to your doctor about them and ask about possible causes, such as ovarian cancer.
  • Ask your doctor if you should have a test, such as a rectovaginal pelvic exam, a transvaginal ultrasound, or a CA-125 blood test if:
    • You have any unexplained signs or symptoms of ovarian cancer. These tests sometimes help find or rule out ovarian cancer.
    • You have had breast, uterine, or colorectal cancer; or if a close relative has had ovarian cancer.

*Incidence counts cover approximately 98 percent of the U.S. population. Mortality counts cover 100 percent of the U.S. population. Use caution in comparing incidence and mortality counts.

Vaginal and Vulvar Cancer

When cancer starts in the vagina, it is called vaginal cancer. The vagina, also called the birth canal, is the hollow, tube-like channel between the bottom of the uterus and the outside of the body. When cancer forms in the vulva, it is vulvar cancer. The vulva is the outer part of the female genital organs. It has two folds of skin, called the labia. Vulvar cancer most often occurs on the inner edges of the labia. When vaginal and vulvar cancers are found early, treatment can be most effective. Treatment of vulvar cancer, in particular, often leads to a cure.

Who gets vaginal and vulvar cancers?

Vaginal and vulvar cancers are very rare. While all women are at risk for these cancers, very few will get them. In 2004,* vaginal cancer accounted for only 1 to 2 percent of all gynecologic cancers. Vulvar cancer accounts for approximately 5 percent of all gynecologic cancers. In 2004, 1,130 women in the United States were told that they had vaginal cancer and 3,631 women were told that they had vulvar cancer.†

* The most recent year for which statistics are currently available. † U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 2004 Incidence and Mortality. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Cancer Institute; 2007.

Can the HPV vaccine prevent vaginal and vulvar cancers?

Some vaginal and vulvar cancers are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), a very common sexually transmitted infection. There is a vaccine that protects against the HPV types that most often cause vaginal and vulvar cancers. It is given in a series of three shots and is recommended for girls 11 to 12 years old. It also can be given to females as young as 9 or those who are 13 through 26 who did not get any or all of the shots when they were younger. If you or someone you love is in this age range, talk with a doctor about it.

Uterine Cancer

When cancer starts in the uterus, it is called uterine cancer. The uterus is the pear-shaped organ in a woman’s pelvis (the area below your stomach and in between your hip bones). The uterus, also called the womb, is where the baby grows when a woman is pregnant.

The most common type of uterine cancer is also called endometrial cancer because it forms in the lining of your uterus, called the endometrium. Uterine cancer is much more likely to be cured if it is found and treated early.

Who gets uterine cancer?

All women are at risk for uterine cancer, but the risk increases with age. Most uterine cancers are found in women who are going through, or who have gone through menopause—the time of life when your menstrual periods stop.

How can I prevent uterine cancer?

There is no known way to prevent uterine cancer. But these things may lower your chance of getting uterine cancer:

  • Using birth control pills.
  • Maintaining a healthy weight and being physically active.
  • Asking your doctor to prescribe progesterone (the other female hormone) if you are taking estrogen to replace hormones during menopause.
  • Talking with your doctor about how often you should be checked for uterine cancer, especially if you think that you have factors that increase your chance of getting it.

Are there tests that can find uterine cancer early?

There is no simple and reliable way to test for uterine cancer in women who do not have any signs or symptoms. The Pap test does not check for uterine cancer. This is why you need to know the signs of uterine cancer and see your doctor if you have any of them. See your doctor right away if you have bleeding from the vagina that is not normal for you. Ask your doctor if you should have an endometrial biopsy. This test involves removing a tiny piece of the lining of the uterus to check for signs of cancer. Your doctor may be able to do this test in his or her office, or may refer you to another doctor. If you still have bleeding after an endometrial biopsy, your doctor may perform more tests.

* The most recent year for which statistics are currently available. Information on this page provided courtesy of the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Risk Factors

In addition to HPV, other things can increase your risk of cervical cancer. They include:

  • Not having regular Pap tests.
  • Not following up with your doctor if you had a Pap test result that is not normal.
  • Having HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, or another condition that weakens your immune system (making it hard for your body to fight off health problems).
  • Smoking.

Signs and Symptoms

Early on, cervical cancer usually does not cause signs and symptoms. Advanced cervical cancer may cause bleeding or discharge from the vagina that is not normal for you, such as bleeding after sex. If you have any of these signs, talk to your doctor. They may be caused by something other than cancer, but the only way to know is to see your doctor.

Risk Factors

Several factors may increase the chance that you will get ovarian cancer, including if you

  • Are middle-aged or older.
  • Have close family members (such as your mother, sister, aunt, or grandmother) on either your mother’s or your father’s side, who have had ovarian cancer.
  • Have had breast, uterine, or colorectal cancer.
  • Have an Eastern European (Ashkenazi) Jewish background.
  • Have never given birth or have had trouble getting pregnant.
  • Have endometriosis (a condition where tissue from the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere in the body).

Signs and Symptoms

See your health care professional if you have any of these signs for two weeks or longer and they are not normal for you, especially if they get worse:

  • Pain in the pelvic or abdominal area (the area below your stomach and between your hip bones).
  • Back pain.
  • Being tired all the time.
  • Bloating, which is when the area below your stomach swells or feels full.
  • A change in your bathroom habits, such as having to pass urine very badly or very often.
  • An upset stomach or heartburn.
  • Discharge from your vagina that is not normal for you.

Also, see your doctor if you have any bleeding from your vagina that is not normal for you, particularly if you are past menopause. These symptoms may be caused by something other than cancer, but the only way to know is to see your doctor.

 

Signs and Symptoms

Early on, most vaginal cancers do not cause signs and symptoms. But if there are symptoms, they may include:

  • Bleeding that is unusual for you because of when it happens or how heavy it is.
  • Pain in your pelvis, the area below your stomach and in between your hip bones, especially when you pass urine or have sex.

Many women who have vulvar cancer have signs and symptoms. They may include:

  • Itching of the vulva (mostly on the labia) that does not go away.
  • Changes in the color of the skin of the vulva, so that it looks redder or whiter than is normal for you.
  • Skin changes in the vulva, including what looks like a rash or warts.
  • A sore on the vulva that does not go away.

It is important for you to pay attention to your body and know what is normal for you. If you have any of these symptoms for more than two weeks, talk to your doctor, nurse, or other health care professional right away. Symptoms may be caused by something other than cancer, but the only way to know is to see your health care professional.

 

Risk Factors

There is no way to know for sure if you will get uterine cancer. Some women get it without being at high risk. However, several factors may increase the chance that you will get uterine cancer, including if you:

  • Are older than 50.
  • Weigh more than 200 pounds.
  • Take estrogen by itself (without also taking the other female hormone, progesterone) for birth control or to replace hormones during menopause.
  • Have had trouble getting pregnant, or have had fewer than five periods a year before starting menopause.
  • Take Tamoxifen, a drug used to treat certain types of breast cancer.
  • Have people in your family who have had uterine, colon, or ovarian cancer.

If one or more of these things is true for you, it does not mean you will get uterine cancer. But you should speak with your doctor to see if he or she recommends more frequent exams.

Signs and Symptoms

The most common sign of uterine cancer is bleeding that is not normal for you because of when it happens or how heavy it is. This could mean bleeding, even a little bit, after you have gone through menopause; periods that are longer than seven days; bleeding between periods; or any other bleeding that is longer or heavier than is normal for you. Other symptoms, such as pain or pressure in your pelvis, may also occur if you have uterine cancer. If you have any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor, nurse, or other health care professional right away. They may be caused by something other than cancer, but the only way to know is to see your doctor.