Can Stomach Cancer Be Cured | Gastric Cancer Stages

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When people talking about stomach cancer (gastric cancer); ‘Can it be cured -- is it curable?’, ‘What are the stages of the disease’, and ‘What are the current treatments?’ are some of the most frequently asked questions! You might also like to read diagnosis & tests of gastric cancer, before continuing!
This disease can develop and occur in any part of the stomach, and even there is also a chance for it to spread the nearby tissues or organs. Unfortunately, many researchers and experts still don’t know the exact cause of stomach cancer. But some risk factors of this disease have been identified. And fortunately most of these risk factors are changeable.

Furthermore, there is opinion that when people have been diagnosed with stomach ulcer then their risk of having gastric cancer is high. But this is wrong -- there is still no scientifically evidence to confirm this issue. Many experts still believe that stomach ulcer doesn’t increase an individual risk of having gastric cancer.
Stomach cancer stages
According a published article on MedicineNet, doctors classify the stages of this disease into five major stages, these include:
Stage 4 (IV)
It is the most severe stage. In this stage, cells of cancer have spread to (a) certain distant parts /organs of patient’s body, or (b) more than 15 lymph nodes, or (c) when the cancer has invaded /affected at least 1 lymph node and nearby organs.
In addition, lymph nodes are lymphatic-tissue’s rounded mass that is usually surrounded by a capsule (capsule of connective tissue), which usually located along the body’s lymphatic vessels. 
Stage 3 (III)
It is a stage when the cells of cancer are one of the following:

1. Haven’t spread to distant organs /lymph nodes, but the nearby organs (like spleen, colon, and liver) have been invaded by the tumor.
2. Or have spread to 1 - 15 lymph nodes, and the outer layer of stomach’s wall (serosa) has been penetrated by the tumor. Read also 5 major layers of wall of stomach!
3. Or have spread to 7 - 15 lymph nodes, and the subserosa of stomach’s wall has been invaded by the tumor).

Stage 2 (II)
In this stage, the cells of cancer are one of the following:

1. Haven’t spread to lymph nodes - also haven’t spread to other organs, but the outer layer (serosa) has been penetrated by the tumor.
2. Or have spread to 1 - 6 lymph nodes, and the muscle layer of stomach’s wall has been invaded by the tumor.
3. Or have spread to 7 - 15 lymph nodes, and the support tissue for the inner layer of stomach’s wall (submucosa) has been invaded.

Stage 1 (I)
According to the National Cancer Institute -- in this stage, the cells of cancer are already found in the innermost layer of stomach’s wall (inside lining of mucosa). And based on where the cells of cancer have spread, stage 1 is categorized into two stages; 

1. Stage 1A! It is a condition when cancer cells may have been found in the submucosa.
2. Stage 1B! It is a condition of one of the following: (a) when the cancer cells have spread to 1 - 2 lymph nodes and may also already be found in the submucosa, or (b) when cancer cells are already found in the muscle layer of wall of stomach.

Stage 0
This phase is also called /known as ‘Carcinoma in Situ’! It is a condition when there are abnormal cells (they may become cancer or not) in the innermost layer (the inside lining of mucosa) of stomach’s wall. 
In addition, there are 3 major ways of cancer to spread. It can spread through blood, lymph system, and tissue.
So, is stomach cancer curable?
The chance to cure gastric cancer is good if the disease is diagnosed at early stage. The spread of cancer significantly influence the successful of the treatment. In other words, the prognosis of stage 0 and I of the disease are much better than the higher stages.
Unfortunately, most cases of people with this disease are diagnosed at later stages. There are some reasons of this late diagnosis;

1. In the early stage, the disease typically only result few signs or even very few symptoms. This is reason of why many patients don’t realize to the existing of the disease at early stage.
2. Most of symptoms that occur are also often vague. Moreover, some of these symptoms also can be caused by many other health conditions -- therefore the diagnosis of stomach cancer is also not easy. 
3. There is still no specific procedure /test to decide whether or not you have this disease (particularly for the early stage of stomach cancer). The diagnosis often involves a combination of some tests and physical exams.

Mass screening programs may be helpful to catch the disease at early stage. In fact, this method is successful in Japan (a country where gastric cancer is common -- much more common if compared in the U.S).
In general, the decision of a kind of treatment to treat /cure stomach cancer is closely associated with the stage of the disease, the characteristics of the tumor itself (location, extent, and size of tumor), and overall health of patient.________Reference: MedicineNet

How Do You Know If You Have Colon Cancer?

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When people talking about colon cancer (or also familiar known as ‘colorectal cancer’), “How do you know if you have it?” is one of the most frequently asked questions! However, it is serious disease that sometimes can be potentially life-threatening. You might also like to know about risk factors of colon cancer (factors or conditions that increase your risk of having this disease), before continuing!

Any problem in the colon can be potential to cause health problem, particularly for your digestive system - because as well we know that colon is one of important parts of the digestive system. What else you need to know?

What is the function of colon for your digestive system?

Colon (or also familiar called as ‘large intestine’) has a significant contribution to support the function of our digestive system. In general, doctors classify the function of this organ into 3 major points; 

1. It is responsible to eliminate feces (solid waste) from your body.
2. It has function to accept & store nutrients remain from foods that were not optimally digested in your small intestine. This is so useful for the body to optimally absorb nutrients from food that you eat!
3. And it is also responsible to find & re-absorb the remaining electrolytes and water from the indigestible food matter.

In essence, it has crucial function for the final stages of your digestive process. Without it, the body cannot optimally absorb water, vitamin, and other essential nutrients. Moreover, when your colon doesn’t work properly, you are at higher risk of have a lot of health problems, such as diverticulitis, constipation, lack of body’s fluid balance, etc.

From these explanations, we get a conclusion that it’s very important to have a healthy colon. Below is a helpful picture of colon anatomy:

(Image credit © to WebMD)

Cecum is a first part of colon that connects to the last part of your small intestine (or also called as ‘ileum’). And the rest of large intestine is categorized into four major parts; the ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid colon.
How does colon cancer occur?

In many cases of patients with colon cancer, the disease starts as noncancerous cells what we call as benign tumor. These benign cells usually occur for the first time in the innermost layer of large intestine’s wall. Doctors also often call them as polyps. And over time, these cells of benign tumor may become cells of cancer (malignant tumor).

Patients with earlier stage of colon cancer have a better chance to be cured than others who have later stage of this disease. In other words, benign polyps are easier to be treated than malignant tumor. You may also like to read about colon cancer stages!

Benign tumor usually don’t spread to other organs, even it also usually doesn’t invade the nearby tissues. On the other hand, malignant tumor can invade nearby tissue and also can spread to other parts of patient’s body.

So, we can say that diagnosing colorectal cancer as earlier as possible is equivalent to the successful of the treatment, and also equivalent to the prognosis of patient. It’s important to diagnose cells of benign polyps as earlier as possible before they become cells of cancer.
So, how do you know if you have colon cancer?
In most cases, there is still no clearly answer for the exact causes of colon cancer. Another bad news, most patients don’t notice any symptoms at early stage of the disease -- read also signs of colon cancer! Therefore, it’s reasonable if there are some patients who are diagnosed with this disease at later stage.
The most effective way to get to know if you have colon cancer as earlier as possible is by taking regularly screening tests! Since most patients with this disease are elderly people (older than 50 years of age), people should begin to take a screening test at the age of 50. 
But for individuals who have some /many risk factors of colorectal cancer or at increased risk of this disease, they should start their screening test earlier. For best advice, ask your doctor when you should start this preventive step.
And the following are some changes of lifestyle that may also be helpful to decrease your risk of having this colorectal cancer:

1. Keep on your healthy weight! It’s clear that overweight or underweight is often linked to some health problems. Moreover, many doctors believe that maintaining your healthy weight is very useful to improve your overall health. 
2. Do your exercise -- get adequate physical activity! It is also helpful to maintain your healthy weight and improve your overall health.
3. Keep far away from bad habits, particularly such as cigarette smoking and excessively consumption of alcohol. We all agree that smoking is very bad for health -- if you are smoker, stop it as earlier as possible (read also smoking side effects)! And for the consumption of alcohol, drink it in moderation!
4. Keep focus on a balanced diet, particularly eating a variety of colorful fruits, whole grains, and vegetables. These foods are rich in antioxidants, minerals, fiber, and vitamins which can be essential nutrients to prevent cancer.

Other health problems associated with colon!
Problems in the large intestine is not only associated with colon cancer. Travelers' diarrhea, colon polyps, salmonellosis, shigellosis, hemorrhage, diarrhea, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulosis, diverticulitis, and colitis are some diseases that also can affect the colon.
Furthermore, some symptoms of colon cancer may also be caused by one of these diseases. This is one of reasons of why diagnosing colorectal cancer is difficult.
More facts of colon cancer!

1. For the treatment, surgery is one of the common choices - particularly for the advanced stage of the disease. Sometimes, preventive surgery is also good option to prevent the disease in individuals who are at increased risk of colon cancer.
2. In general, the decision of a kind of treatment to treat the disease is closely associated with extent, location, and size of cancer, as well as the overall health and age of the patient.
3. Prognosis of this disease is good if the disease is diagnosed at early stage.
4. And did you know that in the U.S -- this disease is the fourth leading cause of cancer in women and third in men.

________Reference: MedicineNet, WebMD, and MayoClinic

Signs and Symptoms of Cervical Cancer in Women

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What are common signs and symptoms of cervical cancer in women? Well … as the name implies - it’s a kind of cancer that attacks /alter the healthy cells of cervix (a part of female reproductive organ, lower or narrow part of uterus). Fortunately in line with the use of new treatment and effectively preventive steps (such as regular screening tests), the number of death cases from this disease are declining.

You might also like to know about treatments, prognosis and survival rates of cervical cancer, before continuing!
In the future, many experts hope that the vaccine will be effective option to decrease the number of patients with this disease. Moreover, the awareness to take a routine pap test (a kind of screening test to detect & find precancerous conditions at earlier stage) is also intended increase, especially for individuals who have high-risk sex behaviors.

What is cervix? And what are the functions of this lower part of uterus?
As mentioned before, cervix is one of the most essential parts of female reproductive system. Sometimes, doctors also call it as ‘neck of the womb’.

(Image credit © to MedicineNet)

It is a kind of passageway (narrow part of womb (uterus)) in the pelvis). There are some important functions of cervix to support the female reproductive system to work, which include:

1. It can be a vital part to become tightly closed in order to keep /maintain the position of baby in the uterus during pregnancy.
2. Then it can open appropriately to allow the newborn to pass through the vagina during childbirth.
3. And it also can be essential part to help /allow sperms to move into uterus. This is very important to help result a successful conception (one of crucial processes when you and your partner have a plan to have a baby).

Moreover, since cervix is also vital part to connect the vagina and uterus, it is also important to help blood flow from uterus to vagina, which then go to the outside of the body during a menstrual cycle of a woman.

(Image credit ©  to WebMD)

How does this disease occur?
In many cases, the cells of cancer start when the abnormal cells are created from some healthy cells on the cervix that acquire a genetic mutation. And when these abnormal cells grow out of control, a health problem what we call as cervical cancer will occur. A mass or form of these abnormal cells is often familiar called as tumor.
Over time, these cells of cancer can invade nearby tissues. They are also able to spread to other parts of body’s patient. These processes are also called as ‘metastasize’.
Diagnosing cancer cervical at early stage is very helpful for the successful of the treatment. In many cases, patients who are diagnosed at later stage will be relatively more difficult to be cured.
Unfortunately, the signs and symptoms of cervical cancer tend to be unnoticeable at early stage. This is one of major reasons why the disease is difficult to be caught /diagnosed as early as possible.
How do you get it -- What are causes and risk factors for cervical cancer?
The exact causes of cervix cancer are still not known. However, it’s clear that some factors can increase your risk of having this disease. HPV (a kind of sexual transmitted infection) is the most common virus that has a significant role in causing cervical cancer in many patients. 
Human Papillomavirus can survive for many years in the body. Many women have been infected with this virus at some time in their lives. Sometimes this infection can clear up on its own way. But if it doesn’t go away, there is a chance for it to create cells of benign (non-cancer) and malignant (cancer) on the cervix.
However, not all individuals with HPV infection are diagnosed with cervical cancer. This suggests that there are also other factors that have contribution to increase a woman’s risk of having this disease. These factors may include:

1. Cigarette smoking! It’s clear that cigarette smoking can put your body at excessively harmful chemical properties, which then will be very bad for your overall health. Many experts believe that this bad habit can increase a woman’s risk of cervical cancer, particularly true if at the same time she also has an infection of HPV. In other words, HPV and smoking are believed work together to cause this disease.
2. Weak /decreased the immune system! In fact as mentioned before, there are also many women who have HPV infection but they never develop cervical cancer. This suggests that the body’s immune system may also play a role in preventing this disease. Doctors believe that this disease is more likely to occur in women with HPV infection and also have a weak level of the body’s immune system.

What are side effects of cervical cancer (complications)?
The cancer may be able to be removed, but it may also recur (come back). 
If you also have a plan for pregnancy -- infertility problem can be the most distressing side effect. Therefore, discuss first with your doctor before taking any treatment. Preserving fertility is better and more successful than restoring fertility after the treatment. You may also like to read fertility herbs for women and men!
Furthermore, the cancer and its treatment (particularly such as radiation and surgery) may also cause problems associated with bladder and bowel function!
Cervical cancer prevention tips
Keep far away from high-risk sex!
Remember that HPV infection is one of the most common factors that put you at higher risk to develop this disease. And as mentioned before, you will get this infection from directly contact of intercourse -- that’s why we call it as a sexual transmitted infection.
Furthermore, you should also avoid early sexual activity (before the age of 18). Many studies found that it also can increase your risk of having HPV infection.
Take vaccination!
A helpful vaccine to reduce your risk of having this disease is now available. Gardasil is one of vaccines that approved by FAD (the Food & Drug Administration) to prevent and fight HPV infection. 
Some studies found that the vaccine is effective to prevent precancerous lesions or early stage of cervical cancer. In general, the vaccine is usually recommended for the phase of girls /women before they become sexual active.
For in-depth information about this issue, consult more with a doctor or contact a local Health Department in your area! 
Routine pap tests
Unfortunately, the vaccine is not able to protect you from all viruses that can cause cervical cancer. Therefore, it’s also important to have routine pap tests!
This regularly test is able to find the precancerous conditions so thus the preventive steps can be performed to prevent cancer. Most of women are recommended to begin this routine test at the age of 21 -- according to many medical organizations.  
And how frequently you should do this test is dependent on your overall health condition or other factors. Women who have some or many risk factors of cervical cancer, they are usually recommended to take it more frequent. For best advice, consult more with a doctor!
What are the symptoms and signs of cervical cancer in women?
Early signs of cervical cancer
In fact, precancerous changes on the cervix cannot be noticed /seen with our naked eyes. Early signs of cervical cancer are also more likely to be unnoticeable in many cases. Even in most of time, the disease usually doesn’t cause any pain or other signs at the early stage.
But if the symptoms do occur, they may include:

1. You may experience pelvic pain.
2. During intercourse, you may also feel a pain.
3. Odor and vaginal discharge! Read also normal vs. abnormal vaginal discharge!
4. And you may also experience vaginal bleeding. For instance; you have a vaginal bleeding between your menstrual cycles, during /after intercourse, or during menopause /after menopause (vaginal bleeding in women with menopause or after menopause is not common -- read also about post menopausal bleeding).

Other Symptoms of cervical cancer
According the U.S National Library of Medicine and a published article on WebMD -- when the cells of cancer have invaded nearby tissue or even other parts of the body, other symptoms that may also occur include:

1. You may experience constipation. 
2. Vomiting, nausea, or/and swollen abdomen.
3. Pain/ diarrhea/ bleeding from the rectum upon excrement (defecation).
4. You may become easily to get fatigue.
5. Loss of appetite.
6. Weight loss.
7. You may also feel leg pain, swelling in your legs, or dull backache!
8. Problems associated with urination, such as; blood in your urine, pain when you’re peeing /urinating, leaking of urine from vagina, and other problems that cause difficulty urinating!
9. Even bone fractures or bone pain also can occur in some patients with cervical cancer at advanced stage. You may also like to know about osteopenia and osteoporosis!

*** If you in doubt about your condition, see a doctor promptly to find a clearly diagnosis and best advices!

Read also a related article about complementary therapies for cervical cancer!________Reference: MayoClinic and WebMD

Treatment for Cervical Cancer | Survival Rates | Stages

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What are stages of cervical cancer? How about with the current treatment options and survival rates for this disease? These are some frequently asked questions when people talking about cancer that occurs in the cervix (a lower part of uterus in the female reproductive system)! You may also like to know about signs of cervical cancer in women, before continuing!

Before reading this article, you need to clearly understand that all information & statistics published in this article are only intended and purposed as general guide. Each case of cervical cancer is unique. And therefore for in-depth information, consult more with a doctor!

Current treatment options for cervical cancer
The plan of treatment to treat cervical cancer may be different from person to person. The decision of the treatment is usually associated with several factors, particularly such as; the stage of the disease, characteristics of tumor (its shape and size), age of patient, whether or not patient has a plan for pregnancy, and the overall health of patient.

Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are some common choices of the treatment for most stages of this cancer. Read also the crucial points you should concern before taking any treatment for cervical cancer in here!

Some surgery procedures to treat cervical cancer

Cells of cancer in the early stages are relatively easier to be removed /cured than cells of cancer in the later stages.

In the early stages of the disease, simple hysterectomy is one of common choices. It is a kind of surgery to remove uterus and usually without procedure of removing the ovaries -- according to a published article on the official site of the U.S National Library of Medicine.

In many cases, simple hysterectomy is effective enough to cure cervical cancer at early stage. Unfortunately it is not effective option if cells of cancer have spread to other parts of the body. But sometimes doctors may use radical hysterectomy with other treatments for advanced stages of cervical cancer.

Sometimes hysterectomy is also needed in some patients who have repeated procedures of LEEP ‘Loop electrosurgical excision procedure’. LEEP is also one of common choices of the treatment for early stages of cervical cancer. It usually involves appropriately electricity to cure /remove an abnormal tissue.

Other common procedures of surgery for early stages of this cancer are laser therapy and Cryotherapy. As the name suggests, appropriately energy of light laser is used to burn the abnormal tissue in the laser therapy. And for Cryotherapy, it is usually purposed to freeze the abnormal cells. Discuss more with a doctor for in-depth information!

Radiation therapy

This therapy is also intended to kill the cells of cancer. Like hysterectomy, radiation therapy is also one of common choices for early stages of this cancer. But sometimes it also can be used with other treatments (particularly such as chemotherapy) to treat cervical cancer at the advanced stages.

As the name implies, radiation therapy usually involves high-powered energy of radiation to kill and remove the cells of cancer. The radiation can be given internally by positioning the device contained with radioactive material close to the cervix of patient. And with external beam radiation, the radiation also can be given externally.

Chemotherapy

It is a kind of therapy that uses certain drugs to kill /remove the cells of cancer. It may be used alone or with radiation therapy.

When it is used with radiation therapy, it is usually prescribed in low doses because drugs of chemotherapy may increase the effects of the radiation. Higher doses of chemotherapy’s drugs may be only prescribed for advanced cervical cancer or when other treatments fail to cure the cancer cells.

In addition, sometimes chemotherapy and radiation therapy may also be used before or/and after surgery.

Survival rates and stages of cervical cancer

For some patients, knowing the statistics of cervical cancer survival rate may be helpful to keep them motivated to fight the disease. But there are also other patients who may not feel and find these statistics helpful!

Cervical cancer stages

In general, cervical cancer has 4 major stages which include:

1. Stage I (the level that describes the cancer still only occurs in the cervix)! In general, this stage is classified into 2 groups, stage IA and stage IB. Based on the size of the cancer - some experts also classify this stage into 4 phases: stage IA1, IA2, IB1, and IB2. 
2. Stage II (it occurs when the cells of cancer have spread to nearby tissues, but the pelvic walls are usually still not invaded). It is classified into 2 major phases, stage IIA and IIB!
3. Stage III (it describes that the cells of cancer have spread to the lower part of patient’s vagina and pelvic wall). In general, it is divided into 2 major groups; stages IIIA and IIIB!
4. Stage IV! It is a stage when the cells of cancer have spread to distant parts (organs) of the body, particularly such as rectum or bowel or bladder! -- You may also like to read symptoms of bladder cancer!

5-year survival rates

The statistics of 5-year survival rate (it refers to the chance (%) of patients who live at least five years after the disease is diagnosed or found) are equivalent with the stages of the disease (from early stages to later stages). In other words, patients at early stages are more likely to have a better 5-year survival rate than others at later stages.

The following are a helpful table from the American Cancer Society:

(source: cancer.org)

And below are other tables of the estimation for the chance to cure the disease & ‘5-year survival rate’ for each stage of cervical cancer -- according to a published article on official site of the U.K Cancer Research organization (cancerresearchuk.org):


However, there is no statistic of survival rate that can give exact prognosis or can be detailed enough to explain what will happen to you! Once again, every case of cervical cancer is unique -- the same type or stage of cancer may grow at different rates in different patient.
Furthermore, the stage of the disease is not the single factor that influences the prognosis of patients with cervical cancer. For instance, the overall health of patient (performance status ‘PS’ of patient) is another factor that may also influence the prognosis and survival rate. Discuss more with a doctor for more detailed information about these issues! 

Can Ovarian Cysts Be Cancerous and Cause Infertility?

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In many cases, having cysts in or on the ovaries (a pair of organs in the uterus of female reproductive system) are not really abnormal, particularly in women who are younger than 40 years of age. But the big questions are: Can ovarian cysts be cancerous? Can they also cause problems associated with a woman’s infertility?
You might also like to read the previous posts about treatment options and symptoms of ovarian cysts, before continuing!
As well we know that ovaries are so crucial for the female reproductive system. They have crucial function to create a monthly ovulation (the release of egg to go to uterus for fertilization) in women of childbearing age. And did you know that in fact there is a chance for tumor to occur in ovaries of a woman. It may only become benign (not cancerous) or then may become malignant (cancerous).

So, can ovarian cysts be cancerous?
The answer is ‘yes they can’! But you need to clearly understand that fortunately not all ovarian cysts will be cancerous (or also more familiar known as ovarian cancer). Even most of these cysts are not cancerous and can go away naturally without treatment.
There are some ovarian cyst types, but functional cysts are the most common type. This type occurs from the process of monthly woman’s menstrual cycle and ovulation. Therefore, it is common in women of childbearing age. In other words, many women of this group have ovarian cysts of some time in their lifetime.
What you should concern to keep safe?
However to keep safe, it’s also important to keep being alert to any unusual symptom of your menstrual cycle. Sometimes these cysts can cause pain or even other serious symptoms. 
And if you seriously concern to your risk of ovarian cancer, doctors usually also recommend taking regular pelvic examinations! This option is very helpful for your physician to keep monitoring any change in the ovaries. Discuss more with your doctor for in-depth information about this issue, particularly about when you should start your regular pelvic examination and how often you should do it!
Who are at high risk of having cancer from ovarian cysts?
Some studies found that the risk of ovarian cysts to be cancerous is relatively high in women who are at older than 40 years of age. 
But in fact after the age of 40, most women who have ovarian cysts are also not diagnosed with ovarian cancer. This suggests that ovarian cancer from ovarian cysts in women older than age 40 is also rare, though it is more common in this group than in women younger than the age of 40.
Moreover, doctors also believe that there are also other conditions or factors that may contribute an increased risk of ovarian cancer. According to a published article on WebMD -- some of these factors may include:

1. Having a personal history /family history of colorectal cancer, breast cancer, or ovarian cancer.
2. Taking certain hormone replacement therapy.
3. Overweight /obesity.
4. Not breastfeeding /not having baby. But some experts believe that the use of birth control pills may help reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.
5. Certain fertility drugs (like Clomid).
6. Bad lifestyles, particularly like cigarette smoking. Read also other side effects of cigarette smoking!

How to diagnose /determine whether or not an ovarian cyst is cancerous?
As mentioned before, regular pelvic examinations are one of the common choices to find an ovarian cyst as earlier as possible. If a cyst is found, your physician then usually recommends further examination and testing to get to know the type of cyst and whether or not your need a treatment.
In general, the size and composition of cysts are usually two crucial issues that must be concerned during the tests of diagnosis. Is the size is still small or large? How about with the composition -- is cyst filled with fluid, or solid, or both (mixed)? Cysts filled with fluid may be less likely to become cancerous, and others filled with solid or mixed may be more likely to become cancerous.
CA-125 blood test is one of common procedures to help doctors identify whether or not ovarian cysts are cancerous. But an abnormal result of this test doesn’t always confirm that an ovarian cyst is cancerous. Further tests after CA-125 blood test is usually still required to confirm and find a clearly diagnosis.
Furthermore -- a pregnancy test, pelvic ultrasound, and laparoscopy are usually also used by doctors to make a diagnosis of ovarian cysts.
The next question: Can ovarian cysts cause infertility problem?
Yes, there is a chance for ovarian cysts to cause a decreased fertility - but again not all types cause this problem.
The following are some types of ovarian cysts that usually will not affect your fertility:

1. Dermoid! It is a kind of cyst that usually contains tissue (like hair, teeth, skin) instead of fluid.
2. Cystadenomas! This type usually arises from the ovary’s surface. It may need treatment, but usually doesn't affect the level of your fertility.
3. Functional cyst! As written before, it is the most common type and usually doesn’t need treatment /will go away naturally. 

And some types that may affect fertility include:

1. Ovarian cysts that occur from /due to polycystic ovaries. PCOS (it stands for ‘Polycystic Ovary Syndrome’) is a condition characterized by a lot of small cysts in the ovaries, certain hormones at high levels, and irregular menstrual cycles. In some women, PCOS may contribute to cause an increased fertility.
2. Endometriomas! As the name implies, this type usually occur from endometriosis - therefore it is more common in women with endometriosis. Many doctors believe that endometriomas can cause a detrimental effect on the level of fertility.

________Reference: MayoClinic and WebMD

Is Cervical Cancer Curable at Every Stage?

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The chance to successfully cure cervical cancer is good if it is diagnosed at early stages. But if the disease is caught /diagnosed at later stages, the cells of cancer are more difficult to be treated and cured. Therefore, it’s so recommended to take routine pep tests (a kind of screening test), especially for individuals who have high risk sex behaviors.
You may also be interested to know symptoms of cervical cancer in women, before continuing!
A routine pep test is intended to keep monitoring your body, so thus any changes of cells on your cervix can be identified as early as possible. Until today, this option is still the best option to prevent cervical cancer - though there is now also available vaccine to protect you from HPV infection (a kind of sexual transmitted infection that increases your risk of having cervical cancer).

Factors that influence how far you go to cure the cervical cancer!
There are some factors that influence the prognosis of patients, but in fact the stages and types of the cervical cancer are two major factors that have a significant contribution!
Types of cervical cancer
In general, this disease has two major types; adenocarcinoma and squamous cell cancer -- according to the U.K Cancer Research Organization!
As the name suggests, adenocarcinoma is a kind of cancer that occur in the gland cells of cervix -- these cells are also called as ‘adenomatous cells’, which are responsible to produce mucus.
And for squamous cell cancer, it is a kind of cancer that occurs on the ectocervix or the cervix’s outer surface. This type is more common than adenocarcinoma, even many doctors believe that today it is the most common type.
In addition, there are also other types of cancer that occur in the cervix -- though these types are very rare if compared with squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma! For instance, a kind of cancer that affects lymphatic system (or more familiar called as lymphoma) also can attack the cervix. You may also like to know about lymphoma symptoms!
Cervical cancer stages
Doctors classify cervical cancer into four major stages; stages I, II, III, and IV. Read also more detailed information about survival rates and stages of cervical cancer!
In general, once again as written before, the chance to cure cervical cancer is good if the disease is diagnosed /caught at early stages, particularly at the stage I.
In the stage I, the cells of cancer only occur in the cervix or they have not spread to other parts of the body. In this stage, there are some treatments (such as surgery and radiation therapy) that can work successfully to cure and remove the cells of cancer from the cervix.
The stage I itself can be divided into 4 types (based on the size of cancer); stages IA1, IA2, IB1, and IB2. Below is a helpful table:

(Table source: the U.K Cancer Research Organization)

So, is cervical cancer curable?
However there is no detailed enough of statistic that can explain what will happen to you!
Furthermore, though the stages and types of the disease are very crucial factors for the treatment & prognosis, but don’t forget that there are also other individual factors that affect the prognosis of patient. These other individual factors may include; age and performance status (PI).
Individual PI is a parameter to describe the overall health of patient. If patient is healthy /fit enough to take the treatment, she is likely to do better than average.

You might also like to know about is cervical cancer hereditary?
Crucial points you should concern for the treatment of cervical cancer!
The types and stages of the disease are not only associated with the prognosis, but also will influence the plan of the treatment. Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are some common options of the treatment.
Before taking any treatment, the following are pieces of helpful information about some important questions that you should ask to your doctor:

1. First, you need to find a clearly diagnosis of the stage? Have the cells of cancer spread, if ‘yes’ - how far?
2. Ask about a copy of the report, which usually you can get from a pathologist! Will you get it?
3. Then ask completely about your treatment choices! Ask also the pros (such as the successful rate) and cons (such as side effects) of each treatment so thus you will be more confident to do your treatment!
4. Ask also how will your treatment affect your daily activities? 
5. Consider also about the ways to control /treat the side effects of each treatment!
6. If you still have a plan for pregnancy, tell your doctor! The plan of the treatment for patients who haven’t a pregnancy and for others who still want a pregnancy can be different.
7. Ask also about what you should prepare before beginning your treatment! 
8. Should you stay in the hospital during treatment? If so, ask your doctor for how long you need to stay in the hospital!
9. How about with the cost of the treatment, make sure your insurance will cover it!
10. What you should do to take care of yourself during your treatment?!
11. Don’t forget to ask about what is your chance of getting a full recovery? And what are the steps after the treatment, such as how often will you have to checkups after your treatment?!
12. And discuss also about a clinical trial with your doctor -- would it be right for you?!

Alternative Treatments - Natural Remedies for Cervical Cancer

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Radiation therapy, surgery, and even chemotherapy are some common options of the treatment for cervical cancer. However, these treatments also can cause serious side effects, and that’s why doctors should consider carefully the pros and cons of each treatment before making a decision! Along with the medical treatment, doctor usually also recommend some helpful natural remedies (home treatments) to ease and control the side effects. Some patients also find a helpful way with some alternative treatments along with their medical treatment.

You may also like to read a related article about signs and symptoms of cervical cancer in women, before continuing!

Furthermore, it’s important to get to know the appropriately steps you need to follow after your treatment. About 60 in 100 of women with cervical cancer will not get persistent /recurrent disease -- according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. This suggests that there is still about 35 in 100 cases will get persistent /recurrent disease.

The percent of the disease to reoccur is usually associated with the stage of the initial cancer. In many cases, cervical cancer that is diagnosed earlier will be less likely to reoccur /come back than cells of cancer that are found /caught at a later stage.
Alternative treatment options for cervical cancer

As mentioned before, complementary therapies (such as breathing exercise, yoga, acupuncture, etc) may also be helpful to relieve side effects /symptoms of the cervical cancer treatments -- though there are still less studies to confirm this issue.

Some of these complementary therapies may include:

1. Aromatherapy /breathing exercise! It is useful to help patient feel less anxious and more relax.
2. Yoga /meditation -- a kind of mind-body therapy. They are believed can be helpful to reduce stress, which then also promote better feeling and helpful for patient to cope with the cancer treatments. They also may decrease chronic low back pain, headaches, and joint pain from the treatments. 
3. Light massage /biofeedback. Light massage for complementary therapy of cancer treatments is usually without involving intense pressure /deep tissue. It is believed will be useful to ease /relieve tension during cancer treatments.
4. Acupuncture! Sometimes doctor recommend taking this therapy in order to help their patients deal with nausea & vomiting. These side effects may occur when you take chemotherapy treatment.

However to keep safe, make sure you consult first with your doctor before taking these complementary therapies, especially about the potential side effects and possible value of these therapies! If these therapies give more possible health benefits and helpful to encourage the successful of your cancer treatments, your doctor usually will support you to take these complementary therapies!
Home treatments /natural remedies for side effects of cervical cancer treatment!
The following are some helpful tips that may be useful to relieve /ease some side effects of the cancer treatments!
Constipation
For this side effect, keep hydrated and with a balanced diet may be effective to ease this symptom. Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables are not only helpful to provide a lot of essential nutrients for the body, but also helpful to provide more liquids in order to keep hydrated.
In addition, if you want to use a laxative to treat constipation, consult first with a doctor to keep safe!
Diarrhea
Being alert for any dehydration signs (such as yellow /dark urine, sticky saliva, and dry mouth) and resting your stomach are some common choices of home treatment to relieve diarrhea. And don’t use non-prescription medicines without consulting with your doctor!
Nausea and vomiting
Before these side effects occur, first you usually will experience some early dehydration signs. That’s why, being alert and treating these early signs of dehydration will help you to reduce your risk of having nausea and vomiting.
Other tips; a little bit of ginger tea /ginger candy (eating smaller meals) sometimes also can be helpful to ease nausea and vomiting.
Pain
Pain is one of side effects that may occur from certain cancer treatments. The following are some key points to deal with this pain:

1. In general the pain of cancer treatment can almost always be managed /controlled! Get to know more about your pain (how you feel & how much pain you get) -- then allow your health care team to know what you feel so thus they will clearly understand to give the best treatment to relieve the pain.
2. Report immediately if you notice any pain as earlier as possible to your health care team -- don’t choose ‘watchful waiting’ for your pain to get worse! 
3. Consult also with your doctor about breakthrough pain (a kind of very intense pain /severe pain that may occur due to higher dose of pain medicine, after doing a specific physical activity, etc). You may be recommended to have medicines on hand for this problem. Consult more with a doctor for in-depth information and more advice about this issue!
4. There is opinion that taking pain medicines will make you be addicted. But this is not true, because your risk of becoming addicted is very low. Always follow all instructions from your doctor!

In addition, managing pain from certain cancer treatments is also important to reduce your risk of having other health problems (particularly such as depression, anxiety, and problems associated with sleep (difficulty to sleep)).

Stress
Taking some cervical cancer treatments can put you at higher risk of having stress. Don’t ever underestimate this side effect! It may be potential to reduce your confident to follow the treatment and even also increase your risk of other health problems.
Learning some helpful therapies (such as yoga, relaxation technique, aromatherapy, etc) can be useful to reduce your stress. Expressing your feelings to your family or others is also helpful idea!
Hair loss
It is one of unavoidable side effects, but you can reduce your risk of having irritation of the scalp by avoiding damaging products for the hair and using appropriately shampoos (like mild shampoos)!
Urinary problem
It can occur due to the cancer itself and the treatment of cervical cancer. Be familiar with a schedule of urinating (such as for every 3 to 4 hours), and keep far away from caffeinated drinks are some home treatments that may be helpful to ease urinary problem.
Fatigue
Patients with cervical cancer are also more likely to get fatigue easily! Controlling your stress, stay on a balanced diet, and having adequate rest /extra rest are usually very helpful options to reduce your fatigue.
Sleep problems
There are many options that you can explore to cope with sleep problems -- the following are some helpful tips:

1. Establish /be familiar with a scheduled sleep routine! Make a schedule when you go to sleep (bedtime) and when you should get up. Do this every day, even on the weekends. This schedule will be helpful for the body to get used with a scheduled sleep time.
2. Caffeine consumption should be restricted, or avoided if necessary. Don’t ever consume caffeine (such as coffee, chocolate, tea, and cola drinks) after noon. Alcohol consumption also should be avoided to get a better sleep!
3. Don’t forget to get regular exercise - but avoid doing it 3-4 hours before bedtime! It is not only helpful to make you be easily to get sleep, but also helpful to improve your overall health. Discuss more with your doctor about the appropriately exercise you should do.
4. Create a restful place of bedroom! There are a lot of ideas on internet to modify /redecorate your unfriendly bedroom to become a restful place which then will help you to get a better sleep.
5. Don’t watch TV or movie in bed! After 15 - 20 minutes in bed but you are still awake, get up and find other activities (such as reading a book) until you feel drowsy. Don’t forget to make a conscious effort to relax your muscles after getting into bed, this idea also will help you to find a peaceful time which then you can fall sleep easily.
6. Learning complementary therapies (such as yoga, cognitive behavioral therapy, meditation, etc) is also great idea to improve sleep quality.

*** For more detailed information, consult more with a doctor!________Reference: WebMD