Women with cervical cancer have a lot of treatment alternatives. The alternatives are surgical procedure, radiation, chemotherapy, or a combination of methods.

The preference of treatment depends primarily on the size of the tumor and whether the cancer has multiplied. The treatment preference may also depend on whether you would like to become pregnant in the near future.

Your doctor can explain your treatment preferences, the predictable results of each, and the likely side effects. You and your doctor can work jointly to build up a treatment plan that meets your medical as well as personal needs.

Your doctor may possibly refer you to an expert, or you may request for a recommendation. You may well want to meet a gynecologic oncologist, a doctor of medicine who specializes in treating female cancers. Other experts who treat cervical cancer comprise gynecologists, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists. In addition to your health care team that that may include an oncology nurse as well as a registered dietitian.

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Prior to treatment starts, request your health care team about probable side effects and how treatment may change your regular activities. Because cancer treatments frequently damage healthy cells and tissues, side effects are general. Side effects may not be the same for every person, and they possibly will change from one treatment session to the next.

At any phase of the disease, supportive care is available to reduce the side effects of treatment, to manage pain and other symptoms, and to help you deal with the feelings that a analysis of cancer can bring.

Surgery

Surgery is an alternative for women with Stage I or II cervical cancer. The surgeon gets rid of tissue that could contain cancer cells:

1. Radical trachelectomy: The surgeon eliminates the cervix, part of the vagina, and the lymph nodes in the pelvis. This alternative is for a small number of women with tiny tumors who wish to get pregnant afterwards.
2. Total hysterectomy: The surgeon gets rid of the cervix as well as uterus.
3. Radical hysterectomy: The surgeon gets rid of the cervix, a few tissues around the cervix, the uterus, and part of the vagina.
With either entire or radical hysterectomy, the surgeon may perhaps eradicate other tissues:
4. Fallopian tubes and ovaries: The surgeon may eliminate both fallopian tubes and ovaries. This surgery is known as salpingo-oophorectomy.
5. Lymph nodes: The surgeon may get rid of the lymph nodes close to the tumor to see if they contain cancer. If cancer cells have reached the lymph nodes, it signifies that the disease may have extended to other parts of the body.

The time it takes to cure after the surgical procedure is different for every woman. You could have pain or discomfort initially for the first few days. Medication can help control your pain. Before the surgical treatment you must discuss the course of action for pain relief with your doctor or nurse. After operation, your doctor can regulate the plan if you need any more pain control.

After a radical trachelectomy, a number of women have bladder problems for a small number of days. The hospital stay generally is about 2 to 5 days.

After a hysterectomy, the span of the hospital stay may differ from a number of days to a week. It is common to feel exhausted or weak a short time. You may possibly have problems with nausea and vomiting, and you may have bladder and troubles. The doctor may limit your diet to liquids at first, with a slow and steady return to solid food. The majority women go back to their regular activities within 4 to 8 weeks after surgical procedure.

Following a hysterectomy, women no longer have menstrual periods. They cannot become pregnant.

When the ovaries are taken out, menopause occurs at once. Hot flashes plus other symptoms of menopause caused by surgical treatment may be more painful than those caused by natural menopause. You could discuss this with your doctor prior to the surgical procedure. A number of medicines have been revealed to help with these symptoms, and they may be more helpful if started before surgery.

For a few women, a hysterectomy can have an effect on sexual intimacy. You may have feelings of loss that make intimacy difficult. Sharing these sentiments with your partner may be helpful. At times couples talk with a therapist to help them put across their concerns.

Chemotherapy

Intended for the treatment of cervical cancer, chemotherapy is frequently combined with radiation therapy. For cancer that has extended to distant organs, chemotherapy can also be used alone.

Chemotherapy uses medicines to destroy cancer cells. The medicines for cervical cancer are generally given through a vein (intravenous). You may possibly be given chemotherapy in a health center, at the doctor’s office, or at home. A number of women have to stay in the hospital during treatment.

The side effects depend essentially on which medicines are given and how much. Chemotherapy destroys fast-growing cancer cells, but the medicines can also damage normal cells that divide quickly:

1. cells: As chemotherapy lowers the levels of healthy blood cells, you’re more on the brink of getting infections, bruise or bleed easily, and feel very weak and exhausted. Your health care team will check for low levels of blood cells. If your levels are low, your health care team possibly will stop the chemotherapy for a while or reduce the dose of medicine. There are also medicines that can help your body create new blood cells.
2. Cells in hair roots: Chemotherapy might cause hair loss. If you lose your hair, it will grow back, but it may change in color and texture.
3. Cells that line the digestive area: Chemotherapy can be the reason a poor appetite, sickness and vomiting, diarrhea, or mouth and lip sores. Your health care team can give you medicines and recommend other ways to help with these troubles.

Additional side effects comprise skin rash, tingling or numbness in your hands and feet, hearing problems, loss of balance, joint pain, or swollen legs and feet. Your health care team can recommend ways to manage several of these problems. The majority go away when treatment ends.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy (known as radiotherapy as well) is an alternative for women with any phase of cervical cancer. Women with premature stage cervical cancer may opt for radiation therapy as a substitute of surgical procedure. It also may possibly be used after surgical treatment to obliterate any cancer cells that remain in the part. Women with cancer that spreads further than the cervix possibly will have radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Radiation therapy utilizes high-energy rays to eliminate cancer cells. It has an effect on cells only in the treated area.

Doctors make use of two types of radiation therapy to treat cervical cancer. A number of women are given both types:

1. External radiation therapy: A large instrument directs radiation at your pelvis or other tissues where the cancer has extended. The treatment generally is given in a hospital or health center. You may possibly receive external radiation 5 days a week for a number of weeks. Each treatment takes barely a few minutes.
2. Internal radiation therapy: A thin tube is placed inside the vagina. A radioactive substance is loaded into the tube. You may have to stay in the hospital while the radioactive source is in position (up to 3 days). Or the treatment session could last a few minutes, and you can go home after that. Once the radioactive material is removed, no radioactivity is left in your body. Internal radiation may be repeated two or more times more than a number of weeks.

Side effects depend generally on how much radiation is given and which part of your body is treated. Radiation to the abdomen and pelvis may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or urinary troubles. You may lose hair in your genital area. In addition, your skin in the treated area may become red, dry, and tender.

You may possibly have dryness, itching, or burning in your vagina. Your doctor may well recommend you to wait to have sex until a few weeks after radiation treatment ends.

You are about to become exhausted during radiation therapy, particularly in the later weeks of treatment. Resting is essential, but doctors frequently advise patients to try to stay as active as they can.

Even though the side effects of radiation therapy can be distressing, they can generally be treated or controlled. Have a discussion with your doctor or nurse about ways to ease discomfort.

It could also help to know that the majority side effects go away when treatment ends. Though, you may possibly wish to discuss with your doctor the possible long-term effects of radiation therapy. For instance, the radiation might make the vagina narrower. A narrow vagina can make sex or follow-up tests a bit difficult. There are ways to avoid this setback. If it does occur, though, your health care team can tell you about techniques to expand the vagina.

One more long-term effect is that radiation aimed at the pelvic area can damage the ovaries. Menstrual periods generally stop, and women may possibly have hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Menstrual periods are more probably to come back for younger women. Women who may want to get pregnant after radiation therapy are supposed to ask their health care team about methods to protect their eggs before treatment starts.