Cervical cancer is cancer that originates in the cervix, the lower part of the uterus. After the disease is diagnosed, the cancer is then staged, based on standardized guidelines according to the extent and spread of the cancer. Cervical cancer stages range from preinvasive disease, stage 0, to metastasized cancer, stage IV. For early stage cervical cancer, up through stage II, numerous treatment options exist.
Significance
According to the American Cancer Society, in the United States in 2010, approximately 12,200 new diagnoses of cervical cancer will be made, and more than 4,000 women in the United States will die from the disease. Most women diagnosed with the disease are younger than 50 years old, with only about 20 percent of diagnoses made in women over 65 years old.
Stage 0, or Carcinoma in Situ
Stage 0 cervical cancer, also known as carcinoma in situ, is preinvasive cancer. There are cancer cells, but they are only in the top layer of the cervix, and many doctors consider this a precancer, explains the American Cancer Society. Treatments for this stage of cervical cancer include cryosurgery or laser surgery in which the abnormal cells are frozen or burned off, respectively; loop electrosurgical excision procedure, also known as LEEP, in which the abnormal cervical tissue is cut off by a wire loop that has an electrical current passing through it; and cold knife conization, where a larger, cone-shaped piece of the cervix is removed. If the cervical cancer is adenocarcinoma, hysterectomy is suggested, even for this stage, according to the American Cancer Society.
Stage IA
For stage IA cervical cancer, the National Cancer Institute lists four possible treatments: total hysterectomy that may or may not include removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes; cold knife conization; modified radical hysterectomy with lymph node removal; and internal radiation therapy. A total hysterectomy involves removal of the uterus and cervix; and a modified radical hysterectomy includes removing the uterus, cervix, upper part of the vagina, and possibly surrounding tissues or ligaments, according to the National Cancer Institute. Internal radiation therapy involves inserting radioactive needles or seeds into or near the tumor.
Stage IB
Stage IB cervical cancer is treated in a variety of ways, according to the National Cancer Institute. Treatment options include using internal and external radiation therapy, radical hysterectomy and lymph node removal with or without radiation therapy and chemotherapy, or radiation and chemotherapy.
Stage IIA and Stage IIB
The treatments for stage IIA cervical cancer include a mix of internal and external radiation therapy followed by chemotherapy, and radical hysterectomy and lymph node removal with or without radiation therapy and chemotherapy. For stage IIB cervical cancer, the National Cancer Institute describes treatment as including internal and external radiation therapy with chemotherapy.
References
- American Cancer Society: Cervical Cancer: What are the key statistics about cervical cancer?
- American Cancer Society: Cervical Cancer: Surgery
- American Cancer Society: Treatment options for cervical cancer by stage
- National Cancer Institute: Cervical Cancer Treatment Option Overview
- National Cancer Institute: Cervical Cancer Treatment by Stage
