Gynecology & Obstetrics
Open Access

Abstract

Cervical Cancer: A Health Limiting Condition

Ali CI, Makata NE and Ezenduka PO

Cervical cancer; a health limiting condition focuses on defining the concept of cervical cancer, enumeration of the risk of cervical cancer, explaining the preventive measures, describe the various staging of cervical and finally discuss the various health limitations associated with this very condition. Studies has shown that the following factors such as smoking, grandmultiparity, immunosuppression, sexually transmitted infections (like HIV, Chlamydia infections) Genetic, etc. can increase the susceptibility of an individual to cervical cancer, while human papilloma virus (HPV) has been implicated as a major causative agent to cervical cancer. However, cervical cancer can as well be prevented through primary and secondary preventive measures. The primary prevention is aimed at protecting uninfected women from being exposed to human papilloma virus while secondary prevention is aimed at increasing the health seeking behaviour of those at risk for early detection and management to achieve better prognosis of the disease. The size or extent of cervical cancer can generally be determined using either “TNM staging system or Number staging systems” and the bigger the size, the higher the limitations to the patient. The limitations of cervical cancer comes as a result of advanced cervical cancer or side effect of treatment and this cut across the patient’s physiological, Psychological, family and social health respectively. This necessitates the specific roles of nurses both in prevention and treatment of cervical cancer respectively. Thus, when all these efforts are put in place it would help to curb both the incidence and severity of cervical cancer.