Cervical cancer

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Cervical biopsy

Cervical cancer

Alternative Names:

Cancer - cervix
Treatment:

Treatment of cervical cancer depends on the type of cancer, the stage, the size and shape of the tumor, the age and general health of the woman, and her desire for future childbearing.

In its earliest stages, the disease is curable by removing or destroying the pre-cancerous or cancerous tissue. This can often be done in various ways without removing the uterus or damaging the cervix so that a woman is still capable of having children.

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In other cases, a simple removal of the uterus (hysterectomy) is performed, with or without removal of the ovaries. In more advanced disease, a radical hysterectomy may be performed which removes the uterus and much of the surrounding tissues, including internal lymph nodes. In the most extreme surgery, called a pelvic exenteration, all of the organs of the pelvis, including the bladder and rectum, are removed.

Radiation or chemotherapy may be used to treat cancer that has spread beyond the pelvis, or has recurred. There are two kinds of radiation treatment: a device loaded with radioactive pellets which is placed into the vagina near the cancer and kept in place for a certain period of time, or an external device which beams radiation into the target areas during visits to the radiotherapist. A variety of chemotherapeutic drugs, or combinations of them, are used. Sometimes radiation and chemotherapy are used before or after surgery.

Support Groups:

As with any serious disease, when cervical cancer or the methods used to treat it seriously affect a woman's life, counseling or participation in support groups may help her to deal with these stresses.

Expectations (prognosis):

Many factors influence the outcome of cervical cancer, the most important of which are:

The type of cancer
The stage of the disease
The age and general physical condition of the woman

The 5-year survival rates (the chance of still being alive 5 years after the diagnosis) for women with cervical cancer who have appropriate treatment are approximately:

80-85% for tumors limited to the cervix and uterus
60-80% when the upper part of the vagina is involved
30-50% for tumors beyond the cervix and upper vagina, but still in the pelvis
14% when the cancer has invaded the bladder or rectum or has spread beyond the pelvis