Cervical Cancer what are said girl's options?
Keep in mind that she is pregnant and they found the cancer while she was on Medicaid and pregnant.
This really depends on what stage of Cervical Cancer is diagnosed. If it is a precancerous stage or stage Ia1 (very small invasion depth into the cervix itself) then a conisation, i.e. a surgical removal of just the cancerous growth including a security margin, might be an option. This is a procedure that can be carried out during pregnancy and preserves fertility. At the same time it does prove a significant risk for terminating the pregnancy (though in most cases the pregnancy is undisturbed).
If it is a later stage of cancer the only options available (if the cancer is still in a curable phase) are to remove the uterus and ovaries +/- radiochemotherapy, terminating the pregnancy. Even later stages would have to be treated with radiochemotherapy alone, also making a continuation of the pregnancy impossible.
I don't know what Medicaid would pay for these procedures - that's not something we learn in German Med Schools
They found high levels of HPV through the pap smear.
Might be a possible cause - though more likely there is a hereditary cause in this case. Also there are a lot of HP-virus types that do not cause cancer and the pap smear does not distinguish between the different types. In any case it is irrelevant to the therapy.
Her mother, at the age of 21, had the same problem and had to have a hysterectomy. She lost her uterus and any chance at reproduction.
This strongly suggests a hereditary link, though the HPV might have worsened the odds of developing the cancer. This also means that if a conisation is possible odds are high that a new cancerous growth will occur in the remaining cervix/uterus at some point in the future, making either a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) at a point after the pregnancy or very frequent screening tests highly advisable.
The HPV is definitely hereditary.
It is definitely not. HPV is a sexually transmitted virus. You do not get it from your mother at birth.
Note that while I am a fully licensed physician in Germany this is of course not to be taken as definite medical advice - a correct diagnosis and treatment plan especially in severe cases like cancer does require consulting a fully trained (and licensed
) oncologist/gynecologist at your place...
. I would have to sign over half my paycheck just to get basic insurance and previous medical conditions are excluded before you even sign up. With the other half of my paycheck already gone in taxes, I now realize why so many people can't afford health insurance (unless a company subsidizes the cost for group insurance). The system is way too unbalanced today.
