The cervix is a ring of muscular tissue around the entrance to the womb. Most cancers of the cervix start as a cancer of the ‘skin’ or surface of the cervix.

Cause of cervical cancer
The most common cause of cervical cancer is infection with a high-risk type of the human papilloma virus (HPV virus). A past HPV infection can cause abnormal cervical cell changes later since the virus may remain in the body for life. Low-risk types of HPV cause genital warts, but other types may not cause any symptoms. Smoking (or a history of smoking) or having an impaired immune system may also increase your risk for cervical cell changes. The use of birth control pills for more than 5 years may be a risk factor related to infection with HPV.
     Women who take birth control pills could increase their risk of cervical cancer and breast cancer.
     Smoking cigarettes increase the risk for cervical cancer.

Natural Treatment of Cervical Cancer
I will update this page as more information becomes available. Apigenin has been studied.

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Cervical cancer symptom
Most cases of cervical cancer are discovered as a result of cervical screening, before there are any obvious symptoms. However, for those few cases not detected this way, the main symptom is bleeding from the vagina between menstrual periods. Pain or discomfort during sex, or an unpleasant vaginal discharge, have also been reported as a sign of cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer treatment
Treatment for cervical cancer depends on the stage of the disease. In cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), abnormal tissue may be removed using loop electrode excision (using wire loops heated by electric current) or cone biopsy. Carcinoma in situ may be removed using loop electrode excision, cryosurgery, or laser ablation. In cryosurgery, liquid nitrogen is circulated through a probe, which is applied to cancerous tissue. Freezing temperatures destroy the cancer cells. Laser ablation involves using a laser (device that emits intense heat and light at close range) to remove cancerous tissue.
   Women who survive cervical cancer are at increased risk for developing other cancers decades later. The increased cancer risk is primarily seen in women who were treated with radiation therapy and involves organs that lie near the cervix.

June 2006 - First Drug Approved to Treat Late-Stage Cervical Cancer - FDA has approved a combination of the drugs Hycamptin and cisplatin as the first treatment for late-stage cervical cancer when surgery or radiation are unlikely to be effective. There are about 10,000 new cases of cervical cancer a year and 3,700 deaths. FDA says the new drug combination is "a potentially life-prolonging option for thousands of women."

Cervical Cancer and Sexual Health
Women with cervical cancer treated with radiation have worse sexual functioning years after treatment than women who undergo surgery for the disease. In fact, women whose cervical cancer was treated surgically -- by removal of the uterus and any surrounding cancerous lymph nodes -- had sexual functioning identical to that of healthy women.

Screening for Cervical Cancer
An analysis of data for more than 60,000 women in North America and Europe suggests that testing for human papillomavirus (HPV) may be the best way to screen for cervical cancer. Numerous reports have linked certain subtypes of HPV with the lesions that precede cervical cancer.

Cervical Cancer Vaccine
An experimental vaccine from Merck & Co Inc designed to protect women against a virus that causes cervical cancer has proved effective for up to five years. Women given Gardasil, which Merck is developing with France's Sanofi-Aventis, experienced no cases of cervical and external genital lesions, the precursors of cancer. Gardasil is set to compete with GlaxoSmithKline Plc's rival vaccine Cervarix in what industry analysts expect to be a multibillion-dollar market. Both products protect against the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection that causes most cases of cervical cancer, the second-most fatal cancer in women.

June 2006 - FDA Approves First Vaccine to Prevent Cervical Cancer - FDA has approved Gardasil, the first vaccine developed to prevent cervical cancer, precancerous genital lesions, and genital warts caused by four types of the human papillomavirus (HPV). About 6 million Americans become infected yearly with HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Nearly 10,000 new cases of cervical cancer appear annually, causing about 3,700 deaths. FDA calls the vaccine a "significant advance."

Cervical Cancer Research Update
Apigenin induced apoptosis through p53-dependent pathway in human cervical carcinoma cells.
Life Sci. 2005 Feb 4;76(12):1367-79.
Apigenin is a widely distributed plant flavonoid and was proposed as an antitumor agent. In this study, we reported for the first time that apigenin inhibited the growth of human cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa) and through apoptotic pathway. The results showed that apigenin significantly decreased the viability of HeLa cells at 37-74 microM and the IC50 value was 35.89 microM. Apigenin-induced apoptosis in HeLa cells was confirmed by DNA fragmentation assay and induction of sub-G1 phase by flow cytometry. Apigenin-treated HeLa cells were arrested at G1 phase, which was associated with a marked increment of the expression of p21/WAF1 protein. The induction of p21/WAF1 appeared to be transcriptionally upregulated and was p53-dependent. In addition, apigenin induced Fas/APO-1 and caspase-3 expression which were also correlated with apoptosis. Apigenin decreased in the protein expression of Bcl-2 protein, which is an anti-apoptotic factor. The conclusion of this study is the apigenin induced p53 expression which caused cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. These findings suggest that apigenin has strong potential for development as an agent for preventing cervical cancer.

Cervical Cancer questions
Q. Do mangosteen fruit extract or graviola reduce the risk for cervical cancer?
   A. i don't know, I have not seen any studies in humans regarding the use of graviola or mangosteen for cervical cancer.

Q. What can a person take that has stage 3 cervical cancer?
   A. Unfortunately hardly any research has been done with the use of natural supplements for cervical cancer treatment.