Chemotherapy is a common and efficient treatment used to destroy cancer cells, but it may damage healthy tissue that is critical to heart function. If you receive certain chemotherapies your heart function should be carefully checked by your doctor. Extra fluid may be given to the heart with some chemotherapy agents or drugs. The heart must work harder due to the extra fluid and this can contribute to heart failure. It is recommended to keep a list of the chemotherapy drugs you receive.
The following is a list of heart complications that may be caused by chemotherapy:
Infection with the HPV virus causes most cases of cervical cancer. HPV is a fairly common infection that your body’s immune system can usually fight off on its own. In some women, the infection does not go away without treatment and may lead to precancerous changes that eventually turn into cervical cancer.
Women over the age of 40 are most likely to develop cervical cancer, but younger women may have precancerous changes (dysplasia) that can turn into cancer.
STDs do not cause cervical cancer directly, but are a predictor for having HPV infection. Women who have chlamydia or another STD are more likely to have also been exposed to HPV, the disease that causes most cases of cervical cancer.
Women who smoke cigarettes are approximately two times more likely to get cervical cancer. Harmful substances in cigarettes get absorbed by the bloodstream and may contribute to dysplasia in the cervix.
A weakened immune system can increase your risk of being infected with HPV or cause precancerous changes to become malignant sooner. Some factors that may contribute to a weakened immune system are infection with the HIV virus, organ transplants, and steroid medications.
Women who were under the age of 17 at the time of their first pregnancy have double the risk of women who were at least 25. These women are more likely to have been exposed to the HPV virus.
Women who have had three full-term pregnancies or more have a higher chance of getting cervical cancer.
Women who take birth control pills for extended periods of time may be at an increased risk for cervical cancer.
Overweight women and women who eat unhealthy diets low in fruits and vegetables may be at an increased risk for cervical cancer.
Close relatives (mothers, sisters, daughters) of a woman with cervical cancer are two to three times more likely to develop the disease.
Many low-income women do not have access to good medical care and are less likely to get annual pap screening exams which increases their chance of developing cervical cancer.
Risky sexual behavior may raise the chances of getting an HPV infection and developing cervical cancer.
DES is a drug that was commonly used between 1940 and 1971 to prevent miscarriages. Women whose mothers took DES while pregnant are more likely to develop cervical cancer.
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