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How Is Cervical Cancer Treated?

If you have been diagnosed with cervical cancer, your doctor will most likely refer you to a gynecologic oncologist. If they don't, ask to be referred. A GynOnc specializes in gynecologic cancers including cervical cancer. 

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Treating cervical cancer takes many different factors into consideration. What stage is the cervical cancer? Do you want to still have children? Is this a recurrent cervical cancer? Your doctor will work with you to develop a treatment plan that is right for you. In general, some options to be considered are:

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  • Surgery - surgery is utilized in both cases of pre-cancers and cancers. For pre-cancers, there are two types of procedures that can be used.

    • Pre-Cancer Ablation - this procedure destroys cervical tissue with cold temperatures or with a laser rather than removing the tissue

    • Pre-Cancer Excisional (conization) - this procedure cuts out and removes the pre-cancer

    • Cancer Simple hysterectomy - removal of the uterus which includes the cervix

    • Cancer Radical Hysterectomy - removal of the uterus along with tissues next to the uterus

    • Cancer Trachelectomy - removal of the cervix and upper part of the vagina. This type of surgery still give women the ability to have children

    • Cancer Pelvic exenteration - this surgery is done for specific cases of recurrent cervical cancer. This surgery removes all that is included in a radical hysterectomy and also pelvic lymph nodes dissection. Depending on where the cancer has spread, the bladder, vagina, rectum, and part of the colon may also be removed

  • Radiation therapy​

  • Chemotherapy

  • Targeted therapy

  • Immunotherapy

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If you are diagnosed with gynecologic cancer you may want to take part in a Clinical Trial. Clinical Trials use new treatment options to see if they are safe and effective. Therefore, you would be receiving cutting-edge treatment and advancing medicine forward for all!

 

Women's Cancer Research Foundation has numerous open clinical trials. If you do not see a Clinical Trial in our queue, here are a few other sites to visit for Clinical Trials.

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