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| A
diagnosis of cervical dysplasia does NOT mean you necessarily have cancer.
Dysplasia is/can be a precursor to cervical cancer. You need to know
the degree and what it means. IT CAN BE TREATED. Read the information,
then you will be able to ask your informed. intelligent questions.
Every doctor should give you the answers you need. If you do not
feel your doctor is answering your questions, get another opinion.. |
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All
About Cervical Dysplasia
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| What
is Cervical Dysplasia? |
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| The term dys means
abnormal, while plasia means growth. Cervical dysplasia means abnormal
growth of cervical cells. Cervical dysplasia is also called cervical
intraepithelial neoplasia, or CIN. Dysplasia
is not cancer, but it can develop into cancer of the cervix.
Cervical dysplasia is classified as either Mild (CIN I), Moderate (CIN
II), or Severe (CIN II or Carcinoma-in-situ). Linked to a sexually
transmitted disease caused by some strains of a wart virus, called the
human papillomavirus (HPV), it is more common in women who have many sex
partners or who began to have intercourse before age 18. Cervical
dysplasia has also been associated with cigarette smoking and too little
folic acid in the diet. It rarely has any symptoms and the first
clues of it's presence is when a Pap Smear result is abnormal. The
definitive diagnosis is made by biopsies (small pieces of tissue taken
from the body and looked at under a microscope). The biopsies are
done during a procedure called a Colposcopy (Please see the Colposcopy
Page for more information about the procedure). Most often found
in women between 25 and 35 years of age, it can occur in younger and older
women. |
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The outside of the cervix
and the vagina are covered by a layer of flat cells called squamous or
skin-like cells. There are many of these cell layers before the first
flattened layer of cells with a nuclei or center. Normally at the
bottom of the cell layers are the round, younger cells. As the cells
mature, they rise to the surface and become flat. The skin-like covering
is separated from the underlying structures by a basement membrane.
This
is an extremely important concept to remember as well as the Transition
Zone area discussed on the Pap Smear Page. |
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In mild dysplasia (CIN
I) only a few cells are abnormal. Mild cervical dysplasia sometimes
goes
away without treatment. However many doctors will treat it at this early
stage to prevent it from progressing. |
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In moderate dysplasia (CIN
II) the abnormal cells involve about one-half of the thickness of the surface
lining of the cervix. |
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In severe dysplasia (CIN
III), also called carcinoma-in-situ, the entire thickness of cells is abnormal,
but the abnormal cells have not yet spread below the surface or basement
membrane. Carcinoma-in-situ literally means "cancer in place".
This severity of dysplasia MUST BE TREATED because it will most often develop
into invasive cancer. |
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| In
all grades of dysplasia and carcinoma-in-situ all of the abnormalities
are confined to the cells ABOVE the basement membrane of the cervix. |
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With invasive cancer, the
cells are not only abnormal throughout the entire thickness from the top
to the basement membrane, but they invade the basement
membrane. Invasive cancer is treated entirely differently
than dysplasia and usually involves extensive surgery. The depth of invasion
past the basement membrane is an important piece of information that will
help make the decision on the proper treatment needed. Micro - invasive
cancer, invasion less than 3 mm, may be treated differently and more conservatively
than invasive cancer that goes deeper. |
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| How
is it Diagnosed? |
| The POSSIBILITY that you
have cervical dysplasia can be found on your pap smear, if you have abnormal
results (See Pap Smear Page). However, a Pap
Smear is ONLY A SCREENING TEST, it is not diagnostic. Dysplasia
is diagnosed with a Colposcope (an instrument used to show the cervix in
a magnified) and Biopsies (small pieces of tissue that are put under the
microscope).
You should NEVER allow a doctor
to treat you for dysplasia without a proper and definitive diagnosis using
a Coloscope and biopsies. |
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to the Top Menu |
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| It's
Not Cancer, Why Treat it? |
| While Dysplasia is not
cancer, it can develop into cancer of the cervix. Mild cervical dysplasia
(CIN I) sometimes goes away without treatment, but most doctors will still
treat it at this very early stage to prevent it from progressing to a more
advanced form of dysplasia. We simply do not know nor do we have
a way of predicting yet which CIN I cells will become normal again and
which ones will progress to CIN II and eventually Cervical Cancer. |
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| Will
Treatment Cure Dysplasia? |
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| YES
and NO. Since the virus (HPV) that is thought to be a cause
of dysplasia is not killed by the treatment, there is always a chance of
recurrence. ONLY THE ABNORMAL CELLS ARE KILLED BY TREATMENT.
Usually a recurrence will not be a serious problem if it is detected early,
but it can eventually develop into cancer if it is not treated. |
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| Do
I Need Tests After Treatment? |
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| YES
! ! ! Because dysplasia can recur, It is therefore essential
to have regular checkups following treatment at the time intervals your
doctor recommends. Usually you will have follow-up Pap Smears every
three months for the first year and then every six months thereafter.
Discuss this with your care giver. |
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| Does
My Partner Need Treated? |
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| HPV is a sexually transmitted
disease. Your partner should be checked to see if he has the virus.
This is done by putting acetic acid (white vinegar and water) on the penis
and looking under a magnifying lamp. If your partner does have HPV
and is treated, this will help prevent a re-infection for you. |
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| How
is Dysplasia Related to HPV? |
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| It has been linked to a
sexually transmitted disease caused by a wart virus called human papillomavirus
(HPV). The DNA of some strains of HPV have been found in the
dyslastic (abnormal) cells when tested. It is more common in women
who have many sex partners or who began to have intercourse before age
18. In addition, cervical dysplasia has also been associated with cigarette
smoking and too little folic acid in the diet. HPV may not have any
symptoms at all and remain undiscovered until an abnormal result is obtained
on a pap smear. You can read more about Sexually Transmitted HPV
in the Sexually
Transmitted Diseases Section of this Site. You can click on the
link for another window to open or check the site under the Contraceptive
Guide Menu. |
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