“It’s not my normal bleeding.” The case of Brenda T Brenda had a malignant tumor of the cervix, a carcinoma of the cervical epithelium, which proved its malignancy by invading nearby tissues and...

“It’s not my normal bleeding.” The case of Brenda T

Brenda had a malignant tumor of the cervix, a carcinoma of the cervical epithelium, which proved its malignancy by invading nearby tissues and metastasizing into the lymphatic system. Of particular interest is her medical history of an abnormal Pap smear associated with a “virus infection.” Given that HPV infection is known to be the cause of cancers of the cervix, the Pap smear was an early warning that went unheeded. Also, given that cancer is a multistep process of repeated injuries over time, Brenda’s sexual history of unprotected sex with multiple partners strongly suggests that she was reinfected multiple times in the intervening years. It is also significant that bleeding was the sign that compelled her to seek medical attention. Bleeding is one of the hallmark signs of cancer at any site.