Cervical Cancer - Treatment for Cervical Cancer

A 2002 study reported that this technique was able to detect cancer that had spread in 87.5% of cases. More investigation is required before it can be widely used.

General Treatment Guidelines

Once diagnosed, cervical cancer (invasive disease) is classified into stages according to the extent of the abnormal cells' invasion into the lining of the cervix or its spread throughout the cervix or beyond. These classifications are used to determine treatment and outlook.

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It is important for patients who have been diagnosed with cervical cancer to know the normal treatments for their particular stage, so that they may compare their doctor's suggestions with these norms.

In stage I patients, the need for more aggressive treatment is correlated with larger tumor size, any involvement of blood or lymph vessels, and deeper invasion into the supportive tissues (the stroma) around the cervix.

In later stages, a greater tumor size, older age and poor general health, and cancer involvement in the pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes (nodes near the aorta, the major artery in the body) suggest the need for investigative or more aggressive treatments.

Stage 0 and Treatments

Stage 0 is cancer in situ confirmed by biopsy and confined to the first layer of cervical tissue (the epithelium). Treatment Options: Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), laser therapy, conization, or cryotherapy.

Stage I (Including Locally Advanced Cancer) and Treatments

Stage I is invasive cancer, but the tumor confined is confined to the cervix. This stage is further categorized as IA and IB.

Stage IA. Five-year survival rates for stage IA can be 95% or more.

In stage IA1 cancer cells are microscopic, there is minimal invasion (less than 3 mm) into the supportive tissue around the cervix (the stroma), and the horizontal extent of the tumor is less than 7mm. Treatment Options: Simple hysterectomy. Conization is an alternative that is sometimes possible for women who want to preserve fertility and who have a nonaggressive tumor that has spread less than 3 mm with no lymph or blood vessel involvement. Trachelectomy has been investigated for women who want to preserve fertility.
In stage IA2 there is deeper invasion (greater than 3 mm but less than 5 mm) and the horizontal extent of the tumor is less than 7 mm. Treatment Options: Radical hysterectomy with surgical lymph node removal (lymphadenectomy) is a common approach.

Note on Stage IA2 through IIA: Postoperative concurrent radiation and platinum-based chemotherapy may be considered for stages IA2 through IIA tumors if the following high risk features are found at the time of primary surgery: lymph node involvement, cancerous cells found in the margins of the tumor, and involvement of the parametrium.