What are the complications of advanced cervical cancer?

There are often no obvious symptoms in the early stage of cervical cancer. Occasionally, there is contact bleeding after sexual intercourse or gynecological examination. The symptoms of late-stage cervical cancer are not significantly different from those of chronic cervicitis. Sometimes the cervix is ​​even smooth, especially in elderly women whose cervix has atrophied. Some patients with endocervical cancer are easily overlooked and missed or misdiagnosed because the lesions are located in the endocervical canal and the appearance of the vaginal cervix is ​​normal. So what are the complications of late-stage cervical cancer?

1. Pain is a symptom of advanced cervical cancer. The cancer extends along the paravertebral tissue, invades the pelvic wall, and compresses the peripheral nerves. The clinical manifestation is persistent pain in the sciatic nerve or one side of the sacral and iliac regions. The tumor compresses or erodes the ureter, and the ureter is narrowed and blocked, leading to hydronephrosis, which manifests as unilateral low back pain or even severe pain, and further develops into renal failure and uremia. The invasion of the lymphatic system leads to obstruction of lymphatic vessels, obstruction of reflux, and symptoms such as lower limb edema and pain.
2. Systemic symptoms Patients in the late stage have fever due to the metabolism of tumor tissue, absorption of necrotic tissue or combined infection. The body temperature of patients with advanced cervical cancer is generally around 38°C, and a few can reach above 39°C. Anemia, weight loss and even cachexia occur due to bleeding and consumption.
3. Other symptoms Cancer can spread forward and invade the bladder. Patients experience frequent urination, urgent urination, painful urination, prolapse and hematuria, which are often misdiagnosed as urinary tract infection and delayed diagnosis. Severe cases may form bladder-vaginal fistula. Cancer can spread backward and invade the rectum, causing symptoms such as prolapse, difficulty in defecation, tenesmus, blood in the stool, and further development may cause vaginal-rectal fistula. Symptoms of late-stage cervical cancer Distant metastasis may occur in the late stage of the disease. Different sites of metastasis will cause different symptoms. The most common is supraclavicular lymph node metastasis, where nodules or lumps appear. Cancer infiltration can spread through the blood vessels or lymphatic system