Recurrent cervical cancer is cancer
that has recurred (come back) after it has been treated. Recurrent cervical
cancer may come back in the cervix or in other parts of the body.
Treatment Option Overview
Key Points for This Section
There are different types of
treatment for patients with cervical cancer.
Three types of standard treatment are
used:
Surgery
Radiation therapy
Chemotherapy
Other types of treatment are being
tested in clinical trials.
There are different types of
treatment for patients with cervical cancer.
Different types of treatment are
available for patients with cervical cancer. Some treatments are standard (the
currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. Before
starting treatment, patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical
trial. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve
current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with
cancer. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the
"standard" treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment.
Clinical trials are taking place in
many parts of the country. Information about ongoing clinical trials is
available from the NCI Cancer.gov Web site. Choosing the most appropriate cancer
treatment is a decision that ideally involves the patient, family, and health
care team.
Three types of standard treatment are
used:
Surgery
Surgery (removing the cancer in an
operation) is sometimes used to treat cervical cancer. The following surgical
procedures may be used:
Radical hysterectomy: This surgery
involves removing the cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and part of the
vagina. Lymph nodes may also be removed.
Pelvic exenteration: If the cancer
has spread throughout the pelvis, then the lower colon, rectum, or bladder
(depending on where the cancer has spread) may be removed along with the cervix,
uterus, and vagina. Plastic surgery may be needed to make an artificial vagina
after this operation.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is the use of
x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.
Radiation therapy may use external radiation (using a machine outside the body)
or internal radiation. Internal radiation involves putting radioisotopes
(materials that produce radiation) through thin plastic tubes into the area
where cancer cells are found. Both external and internal radiation are used for
cervical cancer.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to
kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by mouth, or it may be put into the
body by inserting a needle into a vein or muscle. Either type of chemotherapy is
called systemic treatment because the drugs enter the bloodstream, travel
through the body, and can kill cancer cells throughout the body.
RECURRENT CERVICAL CANCER
If the cancer has come
back (recurred) in the pelvis, treatment may be one of the following:
-
1. Radiation therapy
combined with chemotherapy.
2. Chemotherapy to
relieve symptoms caused by the cancer.
If the cancer has come
back outside of the pelvis, a patient may choose to go into a clinical trial of
systemic chemotherapy.
Treatment of recurrent
cervical cancer may include the following:
Pelvic exenteration
followed by radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy as
palliative therapy to relieve symptoms caused by the cancer and improve quality
of life.