Shock and stress are normal reactions when a person knows that she is diagnosed with cancer.
These feelings may make it difficult for patients to think of everything they want to ask their doctor.
It helps to ask questions. Below are information about treating cervical cancer and nutrition people can take as prevention.
Specialists are often required in treating patients diagnosed with cervical cancer. These specialists include gynecologic, oncologists and radiation oncologists. One type of treatment method or a combination of methods may be used.
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The surgical method involves the removal of abnormal tissues within or near the cervix. |
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The operation is called a cone biopsy, as the piece of tissue removed is cone shaped. |
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Surgery is a kind of local therapy where only the cancer cells in the affected area are removed. |
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If the cancer is only on the surface of the cervix, the doctor may destroy the cancerous cells in ways similar to the methods used to treat precancerous lesions. |
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If the disease has invaded deeper layers of the cervix but has not spread beyond the cervix, the doctor may perform an operation to remove the tumor but leave the uterus and the ovaries. |
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There are cases where a woman may need to have a hysterectomy where her entire uterus including her cervix, ovaries and fallopian tubes are removed especially if she is not planning to have children in the future. |
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In addition, the lymph nodes near the uterus may be removed and the cells examined to learn whether the cancer has spread to these organs. |
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This therapy uses high-energy rays to damage cancer cells and stop them from growing. |
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Like surgery, radiation therapy is local therapy; the radiation can affect cancer cells only in the treated area. |
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Patients are either treated by radiation from a large machine (external radiation) or from radioactive materials placed directly into the cervix (implant radiation) and some patients may be required to do both. |
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External radiation usually involves the patient to visit the clinic or hospital to undergo treatment for 5 days a week for 5 to 6 weeks. |
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Internal radiation is where a capsule containing radioactive material is implanted inside the cervix and left in place for 1 to 3 days. This implanted capsule would emit rays which kill the nearby cancer cells while sparing most of the healthy tissue around it. Treatment may be repeated several times over the course of 1 to 2 weeks. |
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The side effects of using radiation therapy are tiredness and a burning sensation during urinating. |
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In chemotherapy, patients are injected with drugs through their veins or drugs can be taken orally one type of drug or a combination of different drugs is used. |
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Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment where the anticancer drugs flow within the body through the bloodstream which helps to kill any cancer cells which have spread to other parts of the body. |
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Chemotherapy may be used before radiotherapy or surgery to shrink the tumor and after surgery to ensure there is no more cancer cells left and also to control symptoms if cancer comes back after an initial treatment. |
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The side effects of chemotherapy include nausea and hair loss. |
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Biological therapy involves the use of substances to improve the way the body's immune system fights disease. |
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Interferon is the most common form of biological therapy for cervical cancer and can be used in combination with chemotherapy. |
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