Cervical cancer is a malignant tumor tissue of the uterus. Cervical cancer affects mainly two locations - the cervix and the endometrium (uterine lining). In rare cases, the uterine muscle is affected by a type of cancer called leiomyosarcoma.
Treatment
Women with cervical cancer may be treated with surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or a combination of all three methods.
At any stage of the disease, women with cancer of the cervix can be medicated in order to control pain and other symptoms, to relieve the side effects of treatment and to mitigate practical and emotional problems. This type of treatment is called supportive care, symptom management and palliative care.
You may also want to talk to your doctor about taking part in a clinical trial, a research study of new treatment methods.
Before starting treatment, you may want to put some questions to your doctor:
• What is the stage of evolution of my disease? The cancer has spread? If so, where?
• What are my treatment options? What do I recommend? I'll have to do more than one kind of treatment?
• What are the expected benefits of each kind of treatment?
• What are the risks and possible side effects of each treatment? What can you do to control the side effects?
• How will the treatment affect my normal activities?
• What should I watch with myself during treatment?
• How long will the treatment?
• Do I have to be hospitalized?
• How often will I need to perform thorough medical examinations?
• In my case, participation in a clinical trial (research study) will be a good option?
Surgery
The surgery is cancer locally, in the cervix and in the area adjacent to the tumor.
Most women with cervical cancer early is surgery to remove the uterus and cervix (total hysterectomy). However, in very early stages of development (stage 0) cancer of the cervix, may not be necessary to carry out a hysterectomy. Other forms of excision of cancerous tissue include core biopsy, cryosurgery, laser surgery or LEEP.
Some women need to take a radical hysterectomy. Radical hysterectomy is removed in the uterus, cervix and vagina part. Both in total hysterectomy as the radical hysterectomy, can be removed fallopian tubes and ovaries. In this procedure gives the name of salpingo-oophorectomy.
It is also possible to remove the lymph nodes adjacent to the tumor, to determine if they contain cancer cells. If this happens, the disease may have spread to other parts of the body.
You may want to ask the doctor these questions about surgery:
• The type of surgery that will be submitted? My ovaries will be removed?
• You will need to remove the lymph nodes? Other tissues be removed? Why?
• How will I feel after the operation?
• If you have pain, how can I control them?
• How long do I have to be hospitalized?
• I will have prolonged side effects? If not undergone hysterectomy, I can get pregnant and have children? There is an increased risk of miscarriage?
• When can I resume my normal activities?
• The surgery affect my sex life?
Radiotherapy
The radiation therapy (radiation therapy) uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells, affecting only those cells of the treated region.
The patient may be subjected to radiotherapy, chemotherapy with radiation therapy or chemotherapy with surgery. For a small number of women who can not undergo surgery for medical reasons, the doctor may suggest radiotherapy as an alternative to surgery. Most women with disseminated cancer undergoes radiotherapy with chemotherapy. For cancers that have reached distant organs, only radiotherapy is effective.
To treat cancer of the cervix doctors use two types of radiotherapy:
External radiation: The radiation is applied with a large machine which directs the radiation to the tumor area. Most people receiving external radiation are treated 5 days per week for 5-7 weeks on an outpatient basis.
Internal radiation (radiotherapy intracavitary) implants (formed by thin tubes) are placed into the vagina for several hours or up to 3 days; they contain a radioactive substance. During this treatment, the patient is hospitalized several days. To protect others from radiation exposure, patients can not or can only have visits them for a short period of time, while the implant is applied. Once removed from the implant, there is no radioactivity in the organism. The internal radiation may be repeated two or more times, over many weeks.
Prior to undergoing radiation therapy, you may want to ask some questions to your doctor:
• What is the purpose of this treatment?
• How will I be exposed to radiation?
• Do I have to be hospitalized? If so, for how long?
• When will the treatments begin? When will they end?
• How will I feel during treatment? Are there side effects?
• How do we know if the radiation therapy is working?
• Can I continue my normal activities during treatment?
• Radiation therapy affect my sex life?
• Can I get pregnant and have children after completing treatment?
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells. It is considered a systemic treatment, since the drugs enter the bloodstream and affect cells throughout the body. In the treatment of cancer of the cervix is common to combine chemotherapy with radiation therapy. In cancers that have spread to distant organs may be used only chemotherapy.
The antineoplastic drugs used in the treatment of cancer of the cervix are usually administered intravenously. In general, women are undergoing treatment at the hospital on an outpatient basis in the doctor's office or at home. During treatment, patients rarely need to be hospitalized.
Before undergoing chemotherapy, you may want to ask some questions to your doctor:
• Why do I need this treatment?
• What kind of drugs are administered me?
• How drugs act?
• What are the expected benefits of treatment?
• What are the risks and possible side effects of treatment? What can I do?
• When will treatment start? And when it ends?
• How does the treatment affect my normal activities?
Prevention
Treatment
Women with cervical cancer may be treated with surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or a combination of all three methods.
At any stage of the disease, women with cancer of the cervix can be medicated in order to control pain and other symptoms, to relieve the side effects of treatment and to mitigate practical and emotional problems. This type of treatment is called supportive care, symptom management and palliative care.
You may also want to talk to your doctor about taking part in a clinical trial, a research study of new treatment methods.
Before starting treatment, you may want to put some questions to your doctor:
• What is the stage of evolution of my disease? The cancer has spread? If so, where?
• What are my treatment options? What do I recommend? I'll have to do more than one kind of treatment?
• What are the expected benefits of each kind of treatment?
• What are the risks and possible side effects of each treatment? What can you do to control the side effects?
• How will the treatment affect my normal activities?
• What should I watch with myself during treatment?
• How long will the treatment?
• Do I have to be hospitalized?
• How often will I need to perform thorough medical examinations?
• In my case, participation in a clinical trial (research study) will be a good option?
Surgery
The surgery is cancer locally, in the cervix and in the area adjacent to the tumor.
Most women with cervical cancer early is surgery to remove the uterus and cervix (total hysterectomy). However, in very early stages of development (stage 0) cancer of the cervix, may not be necessary to carry out a hysterectomy. Other forms of excision of cancerous tissue include core biopsy, cryosurgery, laser surgery or LEEP.
Some women need to take a radical hysterectomy. Radical hysterectomy is removed in the uterus, cervix and vagina part. Both in total hysterectomy as the radical hysterectomy, can be removed fallopian tubes and ovaries. In this procedure gives the name of salpingo-oophorectomy.
It is also possible to remove the lymph nodes adjacent to the tumor, to determine if they contain cancer cells. If this happens, the disease may have spread to other parts of the body.
You may want to ask the doctor these questions about surgery:
• The type of surgery that will be submitted? My ovaries will be removed?
• You will need to remove the lymph nodes? Other tissues be removed? Why?
• How will I feel after the operation?
• If you have pain, how can I control them?
• How long do I have to be hospitalized?
• I will have prolonged side effects? If not undergone hysterectomy, I can get pregnant and have children? There is an increased risk of miscarriage?
• When can I resume my normal activities?
• The surgery affect my sex life?
Radiotherapy
The radiation therapy (radiation therapy) uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells, affecting only those cells of the treated region.
The patient may be subjected to radiotherapy, chemotherapy with radiation therapy or chemotherapy with surgery. For a small number of women who can not undergo surgery for medical reasons, the doctor may suggest radiotherapy as an alternative to surgery. Most women with disseminated cancer undergoes radiotherapy with chemotherapy. For cancers that have reached distant organs, only radiotherapy is effective.
To treat cancer of the cervix doctors use two types of radiotherapy:
External radiation: The radiation is applied with a large machine which directs the radiation to the tumor area. Most people receiving external radiation are treated 5 days per week for 5-7 weeks on an outpatient basis.
Internal radiation (radiotherapy intracavitary) implants (formed by thin tubes) are placed into the vagina for several hours or up to 3 days; they contain a radioactive substance. During this treatment, the patient is hospitalized several days. To protect others from radiation exposure, patients can not or can only have visits them for a short period of time, while the implant is applied. Once removed from the implant, there is no radioactivity in the organism. The internal radiation may be repeated two or more times, over many weeks.
Prior to undergoing radiation therapy, you may want to ask some questions to your doctor:
• What is the purpose of this treatment?
• How will I be exposed to radiation?
• Do I have to be hospitalized? If so, for how long?
• When will the treatments begin? When will they end?
• How will I feel during treatment? Are there side effects?
• How do we know if the radiation therapy is working?
• Can I continue my normal activities during treatment?
• Radiation therapy affect my sex life?
• Can I get pregnant and have children after completing treatment?
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells. It is considered a systemic treatment, since the drugs enter the bloodstream and affect cells throughout the body. In the treatment of cancer of the cervix is common to combine chemotherapy with radiation therapy. In cancers that have spread to distant organs may be used only chemotherapy.
The antineoplastic drugs used in the treatment of cancer of the cervix are usually administered intravenously. In general, women are undergoing treatment at the hospital on an outpatient basis in the doctor's office or at home. During treatment, patients rarely need to be hospitalized.
Before undergoing chemotherapy, you may want to ask some questions to your doctor:
• Why do I need this treatment?
• What kind of drugs are administered me?
• How drugs act?
• What are the expected benefits of treatment?
• What are the risks and possible side effects of treatment? What can I do?
• When will treatment start? And when it ends?
• How does the treatment affect my normal activities?
Prevention
Pap
The screening test for cancer of the cervix - popularly known as the Pap smear - is painless, inexpensive and effective. It consists of collecting material for examination of three locations: the outer cervix (ectocervix), the inner part of the cervix (endocervix) and the bottom of the bag posterior vagina. For pregnant avoids collecting endocervical, not to stimulate uterine contractions. To ensure the effectiveness of the results, women should avoid sex, not using douches, vaginal medications or contraceptives locations in the three days preceding the examination. The test is not performed during the menstrual period, except if it is a prolonged menstrual period, beyond the usual. Colposcopy lets examine in more detail the cervix and should be performed every 3-5 years, depending on the findings and medical indication.
The screening test for cancer of the cervix - popularly known as the Pap smear - is painless, inexpensive and effective. It consists of collecting material for examination of three locations: the outer cervix (ectocervix), the inner part of the cervix (endocervix) and the bottom of the bag posterior vagina. For pregnant avoids collecting endocervical, not to stimulate uterine contractions. To ensure the effectiveness of the results, women should avoid sex, not using douches, vaginal medications or contraceptives locations in the three days preceding the examination. The test is not performed during the menstrual period, except if it is a prolonged menstrual period, beyond the usual. Colposcopy lets examine in more detail the cervix and should be performed every 3-5 years, depending on the findings and medical indication.
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