How Cervical Cancer Is Treated?

Answer 1

Some women with early-stage Cervical cancer are treated with a radical trachelectomy or a simple hysterectomy, and nothing else. A radical trachelectomy, also known as a cervicectomy, involves removing the cervix and the lower part of the uterus, but preserving enough of the uterus that the patient may still be able to conceive and carry a child (and then deliver in via C-cection). Lymph nodes in the pelvis are also removed in order to help determine whether the cancer has spread. Radical trachelectomy is a smaller operation than hysterectomy. A simple hysterectomy is the most common. It is generally recommended when the woman is not as interested in preserving her fertility and/or is older. A hysterectomy removes the cervix and the full uterus. A radical hysterectomy -- which als removes part of the vagina and some lymph nodes -- is necessary when the cancer is more advanced. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy may also be used to kill cancer cells. In June 2006 the FDA also approved a drug treatment called Hycamtin for late-stage cervical cancer.

Answer 2

Cervical cancer can be treated in several ways, depending on the stage of the cancer. When the cancer is in its earliest stages, the doctor might perform surgery to remove the cancerous area. They might use cryosurgery, where the cervix is exposed by a speculum and a freezing probe is applied to the abnormal cells to destroy them. This preserves the woman's ability to bear children. In later stages, reproductive organs like the uterus and ovaries may have to be removed and chemotherapy and radiation may have to be employed to fight the disease.