What is the treatment for Cervical Cancer?
Doctor may suggest the following treatments for cervical cancer:
(1) Surgical treatment
Apart from the tumor in the cervix, the womb, part of the vagina, tissues around the womb and lymphatic tissues nearby are also removed. Age of the patient will be considered to decide on the removal of the ovaries.
(2) Radiotherapy
There are two types of radiotherapy, external radiotherapy and internal radiotherapy. They are usually used together for the best result.
- External radiotherapy – using linear accelerator to deliver high-powered radiation beams to the tumor sites and the whole pelvic cavity to eradicate the tumor.
- Internal radiotherapy – this procedure is conducted in the operating room when the patient is under general anesthesia. The doctor will insert a small apparatus into the patient’s vagina and cervix, through which radiation is emitted for treatment. Patient usually needs to undergo 3 to 4 times of treatment with 10 to a few dozen minutes for each time.
Potential side effects of radiotherapy:
- Diarrhea and fatigue
- Bleeding of the bladder or rectum
- Narrowing of the vagina
(3) Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy helps to shrink the tumor and is complementary to radiotherapy to enhance the effect. Intravenous chemotherapy, that is injection of the drug through a vein, is usually used.
When chemotherapy is carried out with radiotherapy, it leads to a decrease in the patient’s blood count, resulting in fatigue and susceptibility to infection. Patient may need administration of anti-biotics and those with anemia may need blood transfusion.
Surgical treatment and radiotherapy have the same effect for Stages I and II cervical cancer. But for younger patients in better health conditions, surgical treatment is preferred to salvage the ovaries for the reproductive hormones. It may also lower the impact on sex life related to the narrowing and hardening of vagina as a result of radiotherapy. The long-term effect of surgical treatment is less than that of radiotherapy.
For cervical cancer in later stage, radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy are the main treatments.