What does it mean to have a lesion on your cervix?
A precancerous cervical lesion, which is also called an intraepithelial lesion, is an abnormality in the cells of your cervix that could eventually develop into cervical cancer. There are two main types of cervical cells, squamous and glandular, and abnormalities can occur in either type.
How serious is a lesion on the cervix?
Moderate cervical lesions — formally known as cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia grade 2 (CIN2) — are abnormal cells on the surface of the cervix. CIN is notcervical cancer, but does have the potential to progress to cancer. However, in many cases these cells may also return to normal or remain unchanged.
Can lesions on the cervix be cancerous?
Cervical cancer is an abnormal growth of the cells of the cervix. Over a number of years, abnormal lesions on the cervix can slowly turn into cancer.
How long does it take for cervical lesions to turn into cancer?
Cervical cancer develops very slowly. It can take years or even decades for the abnormal changes in the cervix to become invasive cancer cells. Cervical cancer might develop faster in people with weaker immune systems, but it will still likely take at least 5 years.
Does HPV cause lesions on cervix?
Although most HPV infections clear up on their own and most pre-cancerous lesions resolve spontaneously, there is a risk for all women that HPV infection may become chronic and pre-cancerous lesions progress to invasive cervical cancer.
Do cervical lesions bleed?
During an exam, your doctor may discover lesions on the outside of your cervix. These lesions are often blue-black or purple-red, and they may bleed when they’re touched. Some women may also experience these symptoms: vaginal discharge.
What causes abnormalities in the cervix?
Other things can cause cells to look abnormal, including irritation, some infections (such as a yeast infection), growths (such as polyps in the uterus), and changes in hormones that occur during pregnancy or menopause. Although these things may make cervical cells look abnormal, they are not related to cancer.