Women with cervical cancer have many treatment options. The options are
surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of methods.
The choice of treatment depends mainly on the size of the tumor and whether
the cancer has spread. The treatment choice may also depend on whether you would
like to become pregnant someday.
Your doctor can describe your treatment choices, the expected results of
each, and the possible side effects. You and your doctor can work together to
develop a treatment plan that meets your medical and personal needs.
Your doctor may refer you to a specialist, or you may ask for a referral. You
may want to see a gynecologic oncologist, a surgeon who specializes in treating
female cancers. Other specialists who treat cervical cancer include
gynecologists, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists. Your health care
team may also include an oncology nurse and a registered dietitian.
Before treatment starts, ask your health care team about possible side
effects and how treatment may change your normal activities. Because cancer
treatments often damage healthy cells and tissues, side effects are common. Side
effects may not be the same for each person, and they may change from one
treatment session to the next.
At any stage of the disease, supportive care is available to relieve the side
effects of treatment, to control pain and other symptoms, and to help you cope
with the feelings that a diagnosis of cancer can bring. You can get information
about coping on NCI's Web site at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/coping and
from NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER or LiveHelp (http://www.cancer.gov/help).
You may want to talk to your doctor about taking part in a clinical trial, a
research study of new treatment methods. See the section on Taking Part in
Cancer Research.
You may want to ask the doctor these questions before treatment
begins:
What is the stage of my disease? Has the cancer spread? If so, where?
May I have a copy of the report from the pathologist?
What are my treatment choices? Which do you recommend for me? Will I
have more than one kind of treatment?
What are the expected benefits of each kind of treatment?
What are the risks and possible side effects of each treatment? What
can we do to control the side effects?
What can I do to prepare for treatment?
Will I have to stay in the hospital? If so, for how long?
What is the treatment likely to cost? Will my insurance cover the
cost?
How will treatment affect my normal activities?
What can I do to take care of myself during treatment?
What is my chance of a full recovery?
How often will I need checkups after treatment?
Would a clinical trial (research study) be right for me?
Cervical Cancer - Risk Factors at Time of DiagnosisQuestion: Did you have any of the risk factors for cervical cancer at the time of your diagnosis? If so, what were they?
Lymph nodes help the body's immune system fight infections. Causes of swollen lymph nodes (glands) may include infection (viral, bacterial, fungal, parasites). Symptoms of swollen lymph nodes vary greatly. They can sometimes be tender, painful or disfiguring. The treatment of swollen lymph nodes depends upon the cause.
Sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs,
are infections that are transmitted during any type of sexual exposure,
including intercourse (vaginal or anal), oral sex, and the sharing of sexual
devices, such as vibrators. Women can contract all of the STDs, but may have no symptoms, or have different symptoms than men do.
Cysts are saclike structures that can occur throughout the body and usually contain a semisolid, liquid, or gaseous substance. Infections, tumors, genetic conditions, chronic inflammatory conditions, and wear and tear can cause cysts. Though some cysts may be palpable, others may not produce any symptoms. Treatment depends upon the location and cause of the cyst.
Menopause is the time in a woman's life when menstrual periods permanently stop, also called the “change of life." Menopause symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, irregular vaginal bleeding, vaginal dryness, painful intercourse, urinary incontinence, weight gain, and emotional symptoms such as mood swings. Treatment of menopausal symptoms varies, and should be discussed with your physician.
Normal vaginal bleeding (menorrhea) occurs through the process of menstruation. Abnormal vaginal bleeding in women who are ovulating regularly most commonly involves excessive, frequent, irregular, or decreased bleeding. Causes of abnormal may arise from a variety of conditions.
Cervical dysplasia is a condition in which the cells of the inner lining of the cervix have precancerous changes. There are two types of cervical dysplasia; 1) squamous intraepithelial lesion, and 2) cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Cervical dysplasia is caused by infection of the cervix with HPV (human papillomavirus). There are various diagnostic measures for cervical dysplasia. Treatment generally depends upon the progression of the dysplasia, mild, moderate, or severe.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S. HPV is primarily transmitted by sexual contact. While some people develop warts in the genital region after infection, others experience no symptoms. Though genital warts can be removed, there is no cure for HPV infection. There is a vaccine to prevent infection from four common HPV types.
Cancer is a disease caused by an abnormal growth of cells, also called malignancy. It is a group of 100 different diseases, and is not contagious. Cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, a treatment of drugs that destroy cancer cells.
Hydronephrosis is a condition in which the kidney swells, due to a backup of urine. Hydronephrosis generally occurs with another disease.Symptoms of hydronephrosis include nausea, vomiting, urinary tract infection, fever, painful urination, increased urinary frequency and urgency, flank pain, and swelling of the abdomen. Treatment of hydronephrosis depends on the cause.
Vaginal cancer is fairly uncommon. There are two types of vaginal cancer: squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Risk factors include being 60 or older, exposure to DES while in the womb, HPV infection, and having a history of abnormal cervical cells. Painful intercourse, pelvic pain, vaginal lumps, and abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge are all symptoms of vaginal cancer. Treatment depends upon the stage of the vaginal cancer and may involve surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and the use of radiosensitizers.
Though it's difficult to say why some people develop cancer while others don't, research shows that certain risk factors increase a person's odds of developing cancer. These risk factors include growing older, family history of cancer, diet, alcohol and tobacco use, and exposure to sunlight, ionizing radiation, certain chemicals, and some viruses and bacteria.
There are a number of different methods of birth control to include: barrier methods, IUDs, hormonal methods, natural methods, and surgical sterilization. Birth control methods can be reversible or permanent. In simple terms, all methods of birth control are based on either preventing a man's sperm from reaching and entering a woman's egg (fertilization) or preventing the fertilized egg from implanting in the woman's uterus (her womb) and starting to grow.
Most often, caregivers take care of other adults who are ill or disabled. Less often, caregivers are grandparents raising their grandchildren. The majority of caregivers are middle-aged women. Caregiving can be very stressful, so it's important to recognize when it's putting to much strain on you and to take steps to prevent/relieve stress.
Disease prevention in women includes screening tests that are a basic part of prevention medicine. All screening tests
are commonly available through your general doctor. Some specialized tests may be available elsewhere.
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