Standard Treatment of Cervical Cancer

Adapted by Tracee Cornforth

There are three standard treatment options for women diagnosed with cervical cancer. Which treatment is best for you depends on the specific details of your cervical cancer.

Surgery

Surgery (removing the cancer in an operation) is sometimes used to treat cervical cancer. The following surgical procedures may be used:

• Conization: Surgery to remove a cone-shaped piece of tissue from the cervix and cervical canal for biopsy. Also called cone biopsy.
• Hysterectomy: The uterus and cervix are removed in a hysterectomy. If the uterus is taken out through the vagina, the operation is called a vaginal hysterectomy. If the uterus is taken out through an incision (cut) in the abdomen, the operation is called a total abdominal hysterectomy.
• Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy: The removal of both ovaries and both fallopian tubes.
• Radical hysterectomy: This surgery involves removing the cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and part of the vagina. Lymph nodes may also be removed. Lymph nodes are small bean-shaped structures that are found throughout the body. They filter substances in a fluid called lymph and help fight infection and disease.
• Pelvic exenteration: If the cancer has spread throughout the pelvis, then the lower colon, rectum, or bladder (depending on where the cancer has spread) may be removed along with the cervix, uterus, and vagina. Plastic surgery may be needed to make an artificial vagina after this operation.
• Cryosurgery: An instrument is used to freeze and destroy the abnormal tissue. This procedure is also called cryotherapy. Carcinoma in situ may be treated with cryosurgery.
• Laser surgery : A laser beam (a narrow beam of intense light) is used as a knife to remove the cancer. A laser beam can also be used to kill the cancer cells. This may be called laser therapy.
• Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP): An electrical current passed through a thin wire loop is used as a knife to remove abnormal tissue.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is the use of x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy may use external radiation (using a machine outside the body) or internal radiation. Internal radiation involves putting radioisotopes (materials that produce radiation) through thin plastic tubes into the area where cancer cells are found. Both external and internal radiation are used for cervical cancer.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by mouth, or it may be put into the body by inserting a needle into a vein or muscle. Either type of chemotherapy is called systemic treatment because the drugs enter the bloodstream, travel through the body, and can kill cancer cells throughout the body.

Cervical Cancer FAQs

Adapted from Cervical Cancer Treatment from the National Cancer Institute.

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