Ovarian and Cervical Cancer Research Paper

Cancer is a disease that occurs when cells in the body start to divide rapidly and then begin to invade surrounding tissue. Two types of cancer that are found in women are ovarian and cervical cancers. The American Cancer Society determined that around 21,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021 and more than 13,000 women are diagnosed each year with cervical cancer. These two cancers can affect women of all ages. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in women; however, it is one of the most preventative cancers. Ovarian and cervical cancers have been researched and studied to fully understand where they are located, how the cancers impact women, and what are the most effective ways to treat these cancers.

Ovarian and cervical cancers are both found in the reproductive organs of females. Ovarian cancer is found exactly where the name describes it, in the reproductive organs of a female, the ovaries. The ovaries in females are what “produce eggs (ova) as well as the hormones estrogen and progesterone.” (“Ovarian Cancer”, 2019) The ovaries are a crucial part of the reproductive cycle of females. Ovaries are what makes females become mothers, and more specifically, they give females the hormones they need to be able to bear children. However, as previously mentioned, ovarian cancer can invade these useful hormones and create many problems within women’s bodies, but this cancer is not the only one.

Cervical cancer is also common cancer found in the cervix of females. The cervix is located at the bottom of the uterus which is attached to the vagina. This organ is small in size and tube-like, linking the uterus to the vagina. The purpose of the cervix is to allow the sperm to travel up the uterus during intercourse, to create enough dilatation for a baby to fit through the birthing canal, and to enable the menstrual cycle to complete by flowing out of the body. Both

the ovaries and the cervix hold a special job in females of all ages. The reproductive system of females is solely based upon these organs, and without them, females would not be able to function to their fullest potential in life.

The symptoms of ovarian and cervical cancer are minute and even untraceable until these cancers have spread to different organs or bones. Out of both cancers, ovarian cancer is the most common form to go undetected until it is too late, and once it spread it is very hard to treat.

Ovarian cancer tends to spread to the abdomen and the pelvis before it is diagnosed. Regrettably, the longer it takes to detect this type of cancer the deadlier it becomes. The showing symptoms of ovarian cancer normally do not affect a female until the later stages of cancer. It is difficult for doctors to be able to tell early-stage ovarian cancer, however, some symptoms are, “bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, trouble eating, fatigue, pain during sex, following constipation or menstrual changes.” (“What are the Signs…”, n.d.) If a female is having any signs or symptoms of this nature it is wise to see the female’s doctor and/or gynecologist for precaution.

Along with ovarian cancer, cervical cancer is just as hard to detect in the early stages of the cancer. The most common symptom of cervical cancer is abnormal bleeding. Again, this is a very camouflaged symptom because abnormal bleeding could be from hormonal changes, accidental bleeding, or a new cycle that a patient was on. These symptoms of ovarian and cervical cancer are causal manifestations in the reproductive system, but these symptoms can cause concerns for the body.

The question that normally arises to many doctors when they give someone the news that they have cancer is “How did I get this cancer?” It is hard for a doctor to be able to explain to a patient that it is not their fault for getting cancer, however, there are ways to be preventative for some cancers. Ovarian cancer is one of the cancers that doctors cannot identify where it comes

from or why it starts. Genetics could be one of the ways ovarian cancer could happen to a woman. Unlike ovarian cancer, cervical cancer is preventative in some ways and doctors have seen a pattern among the women that do have cervical cancer. “The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 90 percent of all cervical cancers are caused by a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.” (“About…”, 2020) HPV is a serious medical condition and is associated with cervical cancer. The process of the seizing of the cervix is simple. The cells that bound the cervix begin to change abnormally and out of control, causing a cancerous tumor in the cervix. As these cancers are still being studied on how they infect women all around the world, there are always new discoveries and ways to be more proactive in protecting women against these cancers.