Etiology of and Treatment Approaches for Cervical Cancer

Jennifer Young Pierce (MD, MPH), a gynecology oncologist, talked to our class about the treatment approaches for cervical cancer. Things we covered in the zoom call were the anatomy and etiology of the cervix, how hpv caused cancer, what the cervix is, how a virus can effect the layers of skin, the overgrowth of cells, HeLa cells, prevention, and treatment options. We briefly went over terminology used in her field like the uterus, ovaries, cervix, fallopian tubes, and the vagina. The layers of skin cartoon pictures were shown to see the basil layer of skin with an infected nucleus and how it can grow and release viruses (then is overgrows, matastisizes, and can become immortal). Any cells that we see today in our cancer research are HeLa cells from Henrietta Lacks. Many precautions can take place to hopefully prevent the cancer such as pap tests (which include scraping of the cells in the cervix and looking under microscopes), colposcopy (acid on cervix), and overall biopsies. Treatment options can be freezing, burning, cutting away, and cryotherapy of the cancer.