My Gynae Women's Clinic

Cancer of the CERVIX

What is the cervix?

The cervix is the lower and narrow end of the uterus. The cervix opens into the womb at the upper end and into the vagina at the lower end.

What is cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is cancer of the cervix.

How common is cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is the second most common malignancy in women worldwide.

How common is cervical cancer in Singapore?

In Singapore, cervical cancer is the 5th most common cancer in women.

What is the most common finding?

The most common finding is an abnormal Pap smear result. Please get the female Consultant Specialist Doctor to do a screening with the Papanicolaou test (Pap smear).

 What is a Pap Smear?

The Pap smear is the Papanicolaou Test. This is a screening test for cervical cancers.

 How is this test performed?

The Pap smear will be performed by the Specialist Consultant Doctor. The Doctor is a female Doctor. She will be very gentle.

The female Specialist Consultant Doctor will carefully and painlessly insert a small smooth speculum into your vagina to view the cervix. She will use a special brush to very genteelly collect a sample of cervical cells.

The Pap smear will be sent to a medical laboratory for examination under the microscope for abnormalities.

 What happens if the Pap smear result is abnormal?

The female Consultant Specialist Doctor will plan a management plan and follow-up investigations for you.

What are the signs and symptoms of cervical cancer?

The first symptom is usually post-coital bleeding. Other signs and symptoms include:

1)    Vaginal discomfort or pain during sex

2)    Vaginal bleeding after sexual intercourse

3)    Smelly vaginal discharge

4)    Irregular bleeding between periods

5)    Irregular bleeding after menopause

6)    Pain on passing urine

7)    Constipation

8)    Hematuria

9)    Leg edema

What are the risk factors for getting cervical cancer?

Risk factors include:

1)     History of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS, gonorrhoea, genital warts, chlamydia and syphilis.

2)     Sex at a young age. Your risk is increased if you had your first sexual intercourse before 20 years of age.

3)     Multiple sexual partners. The more sexual partners you have, the higher your risk of having cervical cancer.

4)     Promiscuous male partners.

5)     Human Papilloma Virus infection.

6)     Cigarette Smoking

What can the Specialist Doctors do?

Some of the Specialist Medical checks and Specialist Medical services available include:

1)     Pap smear

2)     Colposcopy

3)     Biopsy

4)     Endocervical curettage

5)     Looking for possible metastatic disease

6)     Chest radiograph to help rule out pulmonary metastasis

7)     CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis

8)     Cystoscopy

9)     Clinical and surgical staging

10) Pap smear with cytobrush

11)  Endocervical and endometrial samplings

12) Cone biopsy

13) Dilatation and curettage

14) Surgery

15) Radiation

16) Chemotherapy

17) Cryosurgery

18) Laser ablation

19) Loop excision

20) Cytology

21) Colposcopy

22) Endocervical curettage.

How do I make an appointment to consult the female Consultant Specialist Doctor?