Stage 4 Cervical Cancer, These Symptoms and Treatment

Stage 4 cervical cancer is the highest severity of cervical cancer. In this condition, cervical cancer has entered an advanced stage. Here are some of the symptoms of stage 4 cervical cancer that you should be aware of as well as possible treatments. Cervical cancer or cervical cancer stage 4 is divided into two stages, namely stage 4A and stage 4B. In stage 4A cervical cancer, the cancer has spread to the bladder to the rectum (the end of the large intestine). Whereas in stage 4B cervical cancer, the cancer has spread to other organs of the body that are further away such as bones, liver, lungs, and lymph nodes outside the pelvis. This condition is called metastasis, which means that cancer cells have spread to other organs or body tissues. Division of staging for cervical cancer adapted the FIGO system, which is an international federation of obstetric and obstetricians. This system divides the stage of the cancer based on tumor depth, tumor width, and the extent to which the cancer has spread. The levels of cervical cancer are divided into 4 stages and are written in roman numerals, namely stages I, II, III, and IV. Then each stage is further divided into A and B. The higher the stadium, the wider the spread of the cancer.

Stage 4 Cervical Cancer Symptoms You Need To Know

Symptoms of cervical cancer can be classified into two, namely the initial symptoms and advanced symptoms. Early symptoms of cervical cancer are usually experienced by patients with stage I and IIA cervical cancer. While the symptoms of advanced cervical cancer are usually experienced by patients with cervical cancer stage IIB to IVB, where cancer cells have come out of the cervix and uterus (uterus). Generally, early symptoms of cervical cancer include changes in menstrual schedules, vaginal discharge, and pain during sexual intercourse, as well as bleeding from the vagina outside the menstrual cycle, after sexual intercourse, or after menopause. In stage 4 cervical cancer, advanced symptoms include:

• Lower back pain, lower abdomen, or bone.
• Feeling tired and not powered, losing your appetite, and losing weight.
• Pale due to abnormal bleeding from the vagina.
• Shortness of breath due to anemia or the spread of cancer to the lungs.
• Decreased amount of urine, bloody urine, or urinary incontinence.
• Leakage of urine or feces into the vagina, which occurs due to the appearance of abnormal channels (fistulas) between the vagina, bladder, and
• Constipation.
• Swelling in one leg.

In cancer patients, life expectancy after diagnosis is described statistically as the five year survival rates. Five year survival rates for stage IV cervical cancer are 16% for stage IVA and 15% for stage IVB, meaning that 16 out of 100 people can still live after five years of being diagnosed with stage IVA cancer. For this reason, it is important to conduct routine screening or early detection tests such as pap smears to detect cervical cancer early, as well as cervical biopsy as well as a series of other examinations recommended by doctors to determine the stage of cervical cancer. The stage of this cancer is closely related to 5-year survival rates and their treatment.

Stage 4 Cervical Cancer Treatment You Need To Know

Cervical cancer treatment generally depends on the stage of your cancer. Treatment also depends on the type of cancer, the location of the cancer, and your health condition. As for the treatment for stage IV cervical cancer, these are:

• Stage IVA

Stage IIB to IVA cervical cancer is treated with combination therapy between chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In this case, external radiotherapy will be done every day for 5 days a week for 5 weeks. After that, you need to undergo internal radiotherapy (brachytherapy) at the end of treatment. During radiotherapy, you must also undergo chemotherapy once a week, or once every two or three weeks. This depends on the chemotherapy drugs given.

• Stage IVB

In stage IVB cervical cancer with distant metastases, whether first discovered or recurring from previous cervical cancer, is rarely curable. The recommended treatment options are chemotherapy or palliative treatment, which is treatment aimed at alleviating cancer symptoms and side effects from treatment. Usually chemotherapy at this stage is also part of palliative therapy and is not intended to cure.

Treatment for re-emerging cancer

Despite undergoing a series of treatments and the cancer has disappeared, cervical cancer may re-emerge. And when it reappears, it usually approaches the area where the cancer was first found (local recurrence), or actually reappears in other parts of the body (metastatic cancer). For cases like this, the treatment usually depends on a number of things, such as the location of the cancer, treatments that have been undertaken before, the patient's health condition, and the patient's expectations for healing the disease. If cervical cancer has not spread too far, surgical removal of the uterus and cervix or hysterectomy can be done. Not only removal of the uterus, if the cancer has spread to lymph nodes, around the bladder and intestines, then the removal of the organ or tissue can be done. As is known, lymph nodes are part of the lymphatic system, which is an important part of the immune system. If cancer cells come out of an organ, it will be trapped and grow in lymph nodes near the organ. Generally, radiotherapy treatment cannot be done back to uterine cancer patients who have undergone radiotherapy before, because there is a limit to the implementation of radiotherapy procedures for the body. So, possible treatment can be in the form of chemotherapy, both stand alone or in combination with surgery. To prevent cervical cancer, you can routinely see a doctor through a pap smear procedure and avoid the triggers for cervical cancer. In addition, cervical cancer vaccine intended for women aged 11 to 26 years is also useful for building the immune system to protect themselves from human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer. If you or a relative has stage IV uterine cancer, don't hesitate to ask your doctor about the effectiveness of the treatment and also the possible side effects.