Treating Cervical Cancer
Once cervical cancer is found, staging tests are performed to find out if the cancer has spread and, if so, to what extent. Treatments for cervical cancer depend on the stage of the cancer.
Treatments include:
The cancerous tumor, nearby tissue, and possibly nearby lymph nodes is removed. The doctor may remove only the tumor and surrounding normal tissue. In some cases, a hysterectomy (removal of the entire uterus) is necessary. Sometimes the ovaries and fallopian tubes also are removed.
Radiation therapy is the use of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may be given in two ways:
- External radiation therapy-radiation directed at the tumor from a source outside the body
- Internal radiation therapy-radioactive materials placed in or near the cancer cells.
- It is very important that you receive your therapy from an experienced radiation oncologist
- Ask whether you will receive high-dose or low-dose therapy
Chemotherapy is the use of toxic drugs to kill cancer cells. It may be given in many forms including: pill, injection, and via a catheter. The drugs enter the bloodstream and travel through the body. It kills mostly cancer cells, but also some healthy cells. Chemotherapy alone rarely cures cervical cancer. It may be used in addition to surgery and/or radiation.
This therapy may also be used to help control pain and bleeding when a cure is no longer possible.
For most cervical cancers, chemotherapy and radiation therapy combined have been shown to cure more women than radiation alone.