Cervical Cancer - Treatment for Cervical Cancer

(Page 3)

Once the uterus is removed, menstruation will cease. If the ovaries are removed, the symptoms of menopause will begin. These symptoms are likely to be more severe in surgical menopause than in natural menopause. The patient should discuss the benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy with her doctor.

[For more information on hysterectomy, see In-Depth Report #73: Uterine fibroids and hysterectomy.]

Radical Trachelectomy

For some women with stage IA2 and stage 1B cancer, radical trachelectomy may be a fertility-sparing alternative to hysterectomy. Radical trachelectomy involves removing the cervix, surrounding lymph nodes, and upper part of the vagina. The uterus is then reattached to the remaining vagina.

---

---

Radical trachelectomy was first introduced in 1995 and is a relatively new, and complex, procedure. Surgeons must be highly trained to perform it, and doctors must be selective about choosing women who are appropriate potential candidates. Patients must meet strict criteria in terms of lesion size and lymph node involvement.

Radical trachelectomy does pose a high risk for miscarriage during future pregnancy, but about half of women who have had this procedure have been able to carry a baby to term. The baby is delivered by cesarean section.

Review Date: 10/21/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).