Introduction
Cervical Cancer is one of the illnesses that have been associated with a high level of mortality among women, and the health care system has partnered with various organizations focusing on cancer to create awareness of the risk factors associated with the disease. It is apparent that most researchers looking into the issue of cervical cancer have particularly focused on the human papillomavirus (HPV) as the major risk factor. This has been influenced by the fact that more than 90% of the reported cases of cervical cancer are associated with the virus.
However, there are other risks factors that have been actively ignored by researchers. For instance, the use of the birth control pill on a long-term basis is one of the predisposing factors to the genesis of cervical cancer. Researchers have identified this risk, but they have failed to look deeper into the interplay between the hormonal environment in the body caused by the use of birth control pills and the development of cervical cancer. It is important to develop a clearer picture of the relationship between hormones and the development of cervical cancer.
Research Question
The study question to be addressed is ‘how does the use of birth control pills enhance the risks of developing cervical cancer?’ The study question should be tackled through the development of a clear understanding of the different ways that the long-term use of birth control pills enhances the risks of developing cervical cancer. It is apparent that this area has been understudied by researchers, mainly because some studies have revealed that the risk of developing cervical cancer decreases dramatically after the women stop using birth control pills (Vessey & Yeates, 2013).
This study is quite important because current studies have also revealed that the use of birth control pills is one of the preventive measures of endometrial cancer. Researchers have revealed that women who use birth control pills on a long-term basis have a lower risk of developing endometrial cancer, but a high risk of developing cervical cancer (Cramer, 2012). It is, therefore, important to understand the role of hormonal manipulation in the development of cervical cancer to ensure women are educated about the length of time they should take birth control pills before taking a break to reduce the risk of developing cervical cancer.
Clinical Relevance
The health care system has partnered with agencies such as the American Cancer Society (ASC) to enhance the development of knowledge among people on the best ways to prevent various forms of cancer. Community nurses have particularly been charged with the development of educational campaigns and cancer testing programs to help women to prevent and manage different forms of cancer. Understanding the role of hormonal manipulation in women will enhance knowledge among women who depend on pills as their main choice for birth control. The findings will be instrumental in the development of a plan for women to use the birth control pills for a given period before taking a break to reduce the risks of developing cervical cancer. It is also apparent that the use of birth control pills is one of the viable approaches toward reducing endometrial cancer; hence, physicians will be able to develop a clear plan on how to create a balance between the use of birth control pills as a preventive measure of endometrial cancer, and eliminating the risks associated with the pills in the onset of cervical cancer.
Current studies reveal that the use of oral contraceptives for more than five years doubles the risk of developing cervical cancer (La Vecchia & Boccia, 2014). However, the studies fail to clearly reveal the role of hormones in the enhancement of the risk. Additionally, the findings from the study might reveal important information to facilitate hormonal therapy approaches that will help in the prevention of cervical cancer for women who are dependent on oral contraceptives on a long term basis (Worthington, McLeish, & Fuller-Thomson, 2012). Once the risk factors associated with the hormonal manipulations of the oral contraceptives is identified, physicians can provide a plan to balance the hormones after long-term use of oral contraceptives to ensure women continue using the birth control pills without increasing the chances of developing cervical cancer.
Research Design
The study will use a mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative methods. A sample space of 2500 women will be used to enhance the validity and reliability of the findings. The participants will be required to have used oral birth control for 2-7 years. The researchers will ensure that the participants sign a consent form to conduct an analysis of their hormonal balance following the different lengths of usage of the birth control pills. A pap smear will also be conducted on the women to establish their status in terms of the development of cervical cancer. This will be followed by the retrieval of data from various health care facilities to identify the number of women diagnosed with cervical cancer associated with long-term use of oral contraceptives.
The secondary data will be instrumental in guiding the analysis of the primary data. After collecting data on hormonal balances and the status of cervical cancer on the participants, the researcher will identify the women with cervical cancer and compare the coefficients of specific hormones to identify a correlation between the hormones and the development of cervical cancer. This information will be instrumental in highlighting the specific hormones associated with cervical cancer after a long-term use of oral contraceptives. The findings will provide health care providers with a clear understanding of the interplay of hormones in the genesis of cervical cancer, and it will potentially help in the development of a better preventive approach based on the manipulation of the hormonal balance in women.
Summary
Cervical cancer is one of the prevalent health care issues among women, and it has led to the death of many women. This has led to the development of numerous studies that have particularly looked into the role of the HPV virus on causing cervical cancer (Priebe, 2013). This has seen the development of a wide gap in the development of an understanding of the role of other risk factors such as the long-term use of birth control pills. The proposed study looks into developing a clearer understanding of the role of hormones in the onset of cervical cancer. It is apparent that a long-term use of oral contraceptives has been linked to a higher risk of developing cervical cancer, but researchers have not looked into the role of the associated hormone in the genesis of cervical cancer. The study will aim at ensuring specific hormones and their various pathways resulting to the development of cervical cancer are identified. The findings will be instrumental in the prevention of cervical cancer.
References
Cramer, D. W. (2012). The epidemiology of endometrial and ovarian cancer. Hematology/oncology clinics of North America, 26(1), 1-12.
La Vecchia, C., & Boccia, S. (2014). Oral contraceptives, human papillomavirus and cervical cancer. European Journal of Cancer Prevention, 23(2), 110-112.
Priebe, A. M. (2013). 2012 cervical cancer screening guidelines and the future role of HPV testing. Clinical obstetrics and gynecology, 56(1), 44-50.
Vessey, M., & Yeates, D. (2013). Oral contraceptive use and cancer: final report from the Oxford–Family Planning Association contraceptive study. Contraception, 88(6), 678-683.
Worthington, C., McLeish, K., & Fuller-Thomson, E. (2012). Adherence over time to cervical cancer screening guidelines: insights from the Canadian National Population Health Survey. Journal of Women’s Health, 21(2), 199-208.