Treatment
for Cervical Cancer
The choice of treatment for cervical cancer depends on the location
and size of the tumor, the stage (extent) of the disease, the woman's
age and general health, and other factors.
Staging is a careful attempt to find out whether the cancer has spread
and, if so, what parts of the body are affected. Blood and urine tests
usually are done. The doctor also may do a thorough pelvic exam in
the operating room with the patient under anesthesia. During this
exam, the doctor may do procedures called cystoscopy and proctosigmoidoscopy
. In cystoscopy, the doctor looks inside the bladder with a thin,
lighted instrument. Proctosigmoidoscopy is a procedure in which a
lighted instrument is used to check the rectum and the lower part
of the large intestine. Because cervical cancer may spread to the
bladder, rectum, lymph nodes, or lungs, the doctor also may order
x-rays or tests to check these areas. For example, the woman may have
a series of x-rays of the kidneys and bladder, called an intravenous
pyelogram. The doctor also may check the intestines and rectum using
a barium enema. To look for lymph nodes that may be enlarged because
they contain cancer cells, the doctor may order a CT or CAT scan,
a series of x-rays put together by a computer to make detailed pictures
of areas inside the body. Other procedures that may be used to check
organs inside the body are ultrasonography and MRI .
Types of Treatment
Treatments for invasive cervical cancer are either local or systemic.
Local treatments are given to remove, destroy, or control the cancer
cells in one certain area. Surgery and radiation therapy combined
with low-dose chemotherapy are local treatments. Systemic treatments
are used to destroy or control cancer cells throughout the entire
body. Chemotherapy is the main form of systemic treatment for women
with cervical cancer. A patient may have just one treatment or a combination
of treatments.
Goals of Treatment
Different types of treatments have different goals. Below is a list
of various cervical cancer treatments with their respective goals.
Surgery. The goal of surgery is to remove as much cancer as
possible.
Radiotherapy. The goal of radiation therapy is to kill cancer
cells using x-rays. This treatment is used to shrink a tumor before
surgery, to eliminate any remaining cancer cells after surgery or
to treat a tumor that is too big for surgery. Patients treated with
radiation therapy should receive low-dose chemotherapy at the same
time. This will make the radiation therapy work more effectively.
Chemotherapy. The goal of chemotherapy in treating cervical
cancer is to reduce the chance that the cancer will spread to other
parts of the body. Chemotherapy may be given after surgery to reduce
this chance. If given after surgery, it is called adjuvant chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy also can be used to treat patients whose disease has
spread to multiple organs and who are not candidates for local treatments.
Get a Second Opinion
Before starting treatment, the patient may want a second pathologist
to review the diagnosis and another specialist to review the treatment
plan. Some insurance companies require a second opinion; others may
cover a second opinion if the patient requests it. It may take a week
or two to arrange for a second opinion. This short delay will not
reduce the chance that treatment will be successful. |
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