Can Cervical Cancer be Treated?
By: Alin ThomsTotal Views: 34, Word Count: 515,
Cervical cancer is cancer of the cervix which is lower part of the uterus or womb. The word cancer causes fear in the mind and the question that arises is, can cervical cancer be treated? Yes, this cancer can be treated properly. The cure rate for cervical cancer depends upon its spreading outside the cervix. Let us know how cervical cancer can be treated.
Diagnosis of Cervical Cancer
It is very important to detect the stage or development of cancer, so as to decide the treatment. Diagnosis of cervical cancer plays an important part in the treatment. Diagnosis using cervical smear tests can detect the early changes of cancer. This test should begin after becoming sexually active or at 21 years of age, whichever happens first.
Treatment of Precancerous Conditions
· Precancerous treatment depends upon the following factors:
1. Woman’s age and general health
2. Whether or not the woman wants to have children in the future
Actual Treatment:
· A low-grade lesion may not need further treatment, if the abnormal area was removed during the biopsy and watched with regular Pap tests.
· Cryosurgery, cauterization or laser surgery can be used as a precancerous treatment to destroy the abnormal area, by removing abnormal tissue using LEEP i.e. Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure.
· Most common treatment includes hysterectomy operation. It is also known as radical hysterectomy or Wertheim's hysterectomy. This operation is carried out by specially trained gynecologists.
· Radiotherapy is another important type of treatment and is aimed to destroy tumor cells which cannot be operated otherwise.
Treatment for very Early Stage of Cervical Cancer
Early stage of cervical cancer can be treated with a cone biopsy, an operation to remove the cervix. This operation is known as radical trachelectomy.
Your Choice of Treatment
In some cases, doctors ask you to choose between hysterectomy and radiotherapy treatment to cure cervical cancer.
Treatment of Cervical Cancer in its Advanced Phase:
· The treatment for cervical cancer depends on the location as well as the size of the tumor, the woman's age, the stage of the disease, general health and other factors.
· Normally, treatment involves surgery and /or radiation therapy. In some cases chemotherapy or biological therapy is used as a treatment. The doctor may decide to use a combination of treatments.
· Surgery involves removing the cancerous tissue from the cervix and the other area where it is spread.
· Radiation therapy treatment involves high-energy rays to destroy cancer cells and also to stop them from growing.
· Cervical cancer can be treated with chemotherapy. It is most often used when cancer has spread to the other parts of the body.
· Biological therapy is also used as treatment in recent years. Substances used in biological therapy improve the body's immune system activity to fight disease. This helps to treat cancer that has spread from the cervix to the other parts.
We can say that cervical cancer be treated and cured, provided we carry out regular check up of the cervix with the help of cervical smear tests.
About the Author
Dr.Alin Thoms is a well known cancer specialist ( oncologist) and has been in this field since from 1995. He uses radiotherapy or drugs to treat cancer. He has done B.A and B.M.B.ch from Oxford University. His special interests lies in - leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and chemotherapy and transplantation for these disorders. He is currently director of the North London Cancer Network
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