Cervical dysplasia is defined as a precancerous condition in which abnormal cellular development occurs on the patient’s cervix, more specifically, its surface. As already known, the cervix is on the uterus opening, connecting the uterus with the upper part of the vagina. Another term for cervical dysplasia is CIN or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. The name is derived from the location of the abnormal cells, i.e., the epithelial tissue or the surface of the organ, and neoplasia, which refers to something “new,” i.e., the appearance of irregular cells.
Cervical dysplasia treatments in Doral Beach are offered in different clinical centers to help patients struggling with this condition find a proper treatment plan. The worst-case scenario outcome of a condition such as cervical dysplasia is cervical cancer, so it is essential to start treating it on time. Finding a qualified specialist for this type of condition might be challenging, so book your appointment at Doral Beach Gynecology to ensure you are in the right hands.
What is very optimistic about CIN is that it is highly quantifiable and easily detectable, so this creates numerous opportunities for doctors and patients to evaluate the condition and catch its development on time. Since these cells are precancerous, this can be considered cancer prevention. Although it sounds scary, most people who suffer from CIN won’t get cancer, but the early diagnosis helps prevent cancer on time.
Classification of Cervical Dysplasia
Previously this condition could only be classified as mild, severe, or moderate based on the likeliness that the precancerous cells become cancerous. Today the classification is different, and it is based on how much tissue the abnormal cells have damaged, and it can be classified on a scale from one to three. CIN 1 indicates that the abnormal cells affect only ⅓ of the epithelium, and CIN 2 usually means that the area is spread to a maximum of ⅔. In contrast, CIN 3 signals that the abnormal cells have grown on more than two-thirds of the cervical surface.
CIN 1 diagnosis rarely turns into cancer, and it often just disappears on its own, while CIN 2 and 3 require medical attention and a proper treatment plan.
Who Can Get CIN?
Around one million women get a diagnosis of cervical dysplasia every year. It mainly occurs in women of childbearing age, from 25 to 35, and women with an HPV infection (human papillomavirus).
Cervical Dysplasia Causes and Symptoms
Abnormal cells, in general, rarely form over time without any previous trigger. The most frequent cause of CIN is getting an HPV infection, which is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the United States. There are more than 100 types of HPV, and some of them are more likely to cause CIN than others. Around 70% of all sexually active women get infected by HPV at a certain point in their lives. For some, the infection disappears without leaving permanent damage, while some need to begin a course of treatment to prevent cervical dysplasia.
When it comes to symptoms, it is very seldom that patients experience any symptoms. CIN is most often diagnosed through doing a Pap smear test, where the abnormal cells are detected. Sometimes women experience vaginal spotting and spotting after sexual intercourse, which might signal that they suffer from cervical dysplasia.
How Is Dysplasia Connected to HPV?
The connection between cervical dysplasia and HPV is straightforward: you have to have HPV to develop cervical dysplasia, but suffering from HPV does not automatically mean that you will develop CIN. It is still unknown why some people develop this condition deriving from HPV while others do not, but experts speculate that it can be tied to the duration of the infection and the type of HPV one is suffering from.
There are additional risk factors for the development of cervical dysplasia, and those include:
- Being older than 55
- Smoking
- Suffering from a weak immune system
Diagnosis
As mentioned previously, the diagnosis of cervical dysplasia is most often established through Pap smear results. If the smear shows abnormal cells, then your chosen doctor might schedule you for a colposcopy and examine the cervix.
The colposcopy procedure is most frequently done in the doctor’s office, where they use a colposcope (an instrument with a light on top) to examine your cervix and the walls of the vagina. During this procedure, a biopsy might be done to examine the tissue from the area and sometimes also determine if there is a high-risk type of HPV currently present in the body.
Treatment of CIN
How one will treat cervical dysplasia depends on different factors, such as how severe the condition is, the patient’s age, health history, and preferences regarding treatment paths. There can be consequences when it comes to CIN treatments, especially when talking about pregnancy possibilities. Before making any decisions, make sure you speak with your chosen doctor and let them give you an overview of all possible options so that you can make an informed choice.
When you have a CIN 1 diagnosis, likely, you will not even need treatment. In most cases, this kind of condition disappears on its own, so your doctor might only recommend you to have regular, periodic Pap smear tests to observe the condition.
Removal of the cervical lesions is advised with CIN 2 and 3 diagnoses because they are more likely to lead to the development of cancer. There are a few approaches that doctors take, and they include:
- Cold knife cone biopsy or Conization is a procedure where your chosen doctor removes a cone-shaped tissue sample that contains abnormal cells. Conization was previously preferred when it comes to treating CIN, but now it is used only in more severe cases. It is possible to get a tissue sample for additional testing using this method, but there are some risks which include postoperative bleeding or cervical stenosis.
- LEEP or loop electrosurgical excision procedure is an approach to CIN treatment involving a small charged wire loop to remove cervical lesions. It can also be used for tissue sampling, and around 2% of people suffer consequences and complications after LEEP, such as stenosis or delayed bleeding.
- Hysterectomy, or the removal of the uterus, occurs when cervical dysplasia does not improve after all other options have been tested.
Prevention tactics
The only possible way to prevent the development of cervical dysplasia is not to get infected by HPV. If this is not the case, and you are already suffering from HPV, then having regular Pap smear tests will help you monitor the condition regularly and notice changes on time.
Getting vaccinated against HPV is the best option when it comes to the prevention of HPV and cervical dysplasia. It is recommended for girls and women from age nine to 26 to get the vaccine, and for older generations, it is recommended to first speak to their chosen doctor.
Practicing safe sex is another prevention tactic when it comes to CIN, so if you are not going to avoid sexual intercourse, then at least reduce the risks of getting an STI by using a condom regularly and limiting the number of sexual partners you have.
Avoid smoking and the usage of tobacco because this habit increases the risk of developing CIN when you are already infected by HPV.
Contact Our Clinic!
If you still have additional questions and concerns when it comes to cervical dysplasia, our expert team is here to help you with everything you need. Call our clinic, schedule a consultation, and find out everything you want to know! Make your reproductive health a priority.