Surgery is commonly employed in early stage cervical cancers.
The purpose of surgery is to eradicate as much disease as possible but it usually isn’t used unless all of the cancer can be removed at the time of surgery. Cancers that have a high chance of already being in the lymph nodes are not treated with surgery.
There are a few different types of surgeries that can be performed. The earliest stage IA tumors can sometimes be treated only with hysterectomy (removal of cervix and uterus).
Bigger stage IA, stage IB and occasionally stage IIA tumors can be treated with more extensive hysterectomies coupled with lymphadenectomies. Depending on the amount disease, the surgeon may have to remove tissues around the uterus, as well as part of the vagina and the fallopian tubes. One of the benefits of surgery in young women is that sometimes their ovaries can be left, so that they do not go through menopause at an early stage. Higher stage disease is usually treated with radiation and chemotherapy, but sometimes surgery is employed if cervical cancer comes back after it has been treated.
B. RADIOTHERAPY
Radiation therapy has been established as very effective in treating cervical cancer. Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy is another option besides surgery for early stage cervical cancers; and when advanced stage cervical cancer needs to be treated it is usually done with radiation therapy. Surgery and radiation have been shown to be correspondent treatments for early stage cervical cancers, and radiation helps avoid surgery in patients who are too ill to risk having anesthesia. Radiation has the benefit of being able to treat all of the disease in the radiation field; thus lymph nodes can be treated as well as the primary tumor in the course of the same treatment. Another use of radiation is for palliation, meaning that patients with very advanced cases of cervical cancer are treated with the intent of easing their pain or symptoms, rather than trying to cure the disease. Finally, radiation is often combined with chemotherapy, and depending on the case the doctor will decide on the best possible treatment arrangement for the patient’s lifestyle and wishes.
C. CHEMOTHERAPY
Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer drugs that go throughout the entire body. Practically, all patients who are in good medical condition and receiving radiation for stage IIA or higher cervical cancer will be offered chemotherapy in addition to their radiation. It may even be offered for earlier stage patients depending on the particulars of the patient’s case. There are many different chemotherapy drugs, and they are often given in combinations for a series of months. The most commonly employed regimens use a drug called Cisplatin, but other drugs like 5-FU, Hydroxyurea, Ifosfamide, and Paclitaxel may also be employed.
