Cervical Cancer Treatment

Treatment for cervical cancer depends on several factors such as cancer's stage , the individual's overall health.

Surgery can be used to diagnose, determine the extent of, and treat cervical cancer, especially for early-stage cases.

• Surgery for cervical pre-cancers includes procedures:-
  - Cryosurgery involves freezing abnormal cells on the cervix to treat cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.
  - Laser ablation vaporizes abnormal cells and is used to treat cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.
  - Conization is an excisional surgery that removes a cone-shaped piece of tissue from the cervix and can also serve as a treatment for pre-cancers and early cancers.
• Invasive cervical cancer may require procedures like:-
  - Simple hysterectomy removes the uterus, while radical hysterectomy removes the uterus, surrounding tissues, cervix, and nearby lymph nodes.
  - Trachelectomy is a surgical option that removes the cervix and upper part of the vagina, preserving the uterus, and is used to maintain fertility.
  - Pelvic exenteration is performed in specific recurrent cervical cancer cases, removing multiple organs and tissues in the pelvic region.
  - Sentinel lymph node mapping and biopsy is a procedure that may be used for certain cases of stage I cervical cancer to assess lymph node involvement.

Radiation therapy is used in the treatment of cervical cancer, either as the primary treatment or for cases that have spread or recurred. Radiation therapy may be used alone, in combination with surgery, or alongside chemotherapy (concurrent chemoradiation) depending on the stage of the cancer.

• Two common types of radiation therapy for cervical cancer are external beam radiation and brachytherapy.
  - External beam radiation involves directing x-rays at the cancer from outside the body, often combined with chemotherapy over a few weeks.
  - Brachytherapy, or internal radiation therapy, involves placing a radiation source near the cancer, typically in addition to external beam radiation as part of the main treatment.
  
  
  

Chemotherapy (chemo) for cervical cancer involves the use of anti-cancer drugs that are injected into a vein or administered orally. Chemo is not needed for all women with cervical cancer, but it may be recommended in specific situations. It is often used as part of the main treatment for cervical cancer, particularly in combination with radiation therapy (concurrent chemoradiation).

Targeted therapy for cervical cancer involves medicines that specifically target proteins on cancer cells involved in their growth, spread, or survival. These targeted drugs have different mechanisms of action compared to chemotherapy and may be administered as pills or injections.


Immunotherapy involves the use of medicines to enhance the body's immune system for more effective recognition and destruction of cancer cells.