Zoology · Ch 3 — Reproductive Health
Cervical Cancer
Cervical Cancer
Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is caused by a sexually transmitted virus — the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) — which places it squarely within the STD topic even though it presents as a cancer rather than an infection in the usual sense. HPV infection can trigger abnormal growth of cervical cells, known as cervical dysplasia, which over time can progress to cancer. The most common warning signs are pelvic pain, increased vaginal discharge and abnormal vaginal bleeding, and the two clearest risk factors called out in the chapter are having multiple sexual partners and prolonged use of contraceptive pills.
Diagnosis relies primarily on a Papanicolaou smear (PAP smear) combined with an HPV test, with imaging techniques — X-ray, CT, MRI and PET scans — used to stage the cancer once found. Treatment options include radiation therapy, surgery and chemotherapy. Prevention operates on two fronts: primary prevention through HPV vaccination of girls aged 9–13, ideally before they become sexually active, and lifestyle modification — a healthy diet, avoiding tobacco, delaying early marriage, practising monogamy and regular exercise — all of which lower risk. Because modern screening can catch precancerous changes before they become cancer, annual screening is recommended for women above 30. …
What this figure shows. A simple illustrative diagram of the breast divided into five zones for self-examination: the breast is split into four outer quadrants (numbered 1 to 4, corresponding to the upper-outer, upper-inner, lower-outer and lower-inner regions) plus a fifth central zone at the nipple. The diagram supports the chapter's step-by-step self-examination instructions — feeling each of the five zones in turn with the palm of the opposite hand, in both lying-down and standing positions, once a month after the first week of the menstrual cycle — so a woman can notice a lump, a change in nipple position, or nipple discharge early. It is a procedural/anatomical schematic, not a clinical photograph, and pairs with the chapter's note that mammograms …