Cervical cancer treatment

Treatment for cervical cancer depends on the stage of the disease and the extent of its spread. The three standard modes of treatment are surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.

Cervical cancer treatment - Surgery

A radical hysterectomy removes the entire uterus, the ovaries, the upper part of the vagina that is next to the cervix, and the lymph nodes from the pelvic region.

Cervical cancer treatment - Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy, which involves the use of high energy x rays to kill cancer cells, can also be used for treating cervical cancer. In external radiation therapy, the rays are focused on the pelvic area from a source that is outside the body. Alternatively, a pellet of radioactive materials may be placed internally, near the tumor. This is called brachytherapy or interstitial radiotherapy. However, radiation therapy to the pelvic region has many effects. It could cause a narrowing of the vagina (vaginal stenosis) that makes intercourse painful. It may also stop the ovaries from releasing eggs and producing the female hormone estrogen. When this happens, it causes premature menopause in young women and they will need estrogen replacement therapy. Many women are treated with both surgery and radiation therapy.

Cervical cancer treatment - Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy, or the use of anticancer drugs to kill the cancer cells, is not a common form of treatment for cervical cancer because it is not as effective as other methods. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy, (where more than one drug is used to treat the cancer), is being tested in clinical trials.

When the woman is diagnosed with recurrent cervical cancer, an operation known as pelvic exenteration is performed. In this operation, besides the uterus, cervix, and vagina, the urinary bladder, part of the colon, and the rectum are also removed. In such a case, new openings will have to be created for the urine and the feces to pass out of the body. A new vagina may also be surgically created.

Prognosis

When detected in the early invasive stages, approximately 91% of the women survive 5 years or more. The overall 5 year survival rate for cervical cancer, from the time of detection, is 69%.