1. Cut Out the Cone
Patients with early stage cervical cancer may have a procedure called a conization, which removes a cone-shaped piece of tissue from the cervix. Patients receive local anesthesia for this surgery. An advantage of conization includes the ability of this procedure to identify which early stage cervical cancers are invasive, as the surgeon would also remove a margin of healthy tissue. Women may choose conization over hysterectomy to preserve fertility if doctors give them an option.
2. Freezing the Cancer
Doctors can freeze early cervical cancer lesions with a special freezing instrument in a procedure called cryosurgery. The instrument kills cancer cells with liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide. Although cryosurgery causes side effects including cramping or bleeding, it doesn't cause infertility. The only surgical cut the doctor must make is a small incision to insert the freezing instrument, or cryoprobe.
3. Cutting With Lasers
Surgeons may remove superficial cervical cancers with a powerful beam of light in laser surgery. Laser surgery has a lower rate of infection that conventional surgery, and the light from the laser beam can seal off nerves and blood vessels, reducing pain and bleeding after surgery. However, doctors need special training and equipment to perform laser surgery, so this option isn't available in every area.
4. LEEP to a Cure
Some patients with very early cervical cancer are candidates for loop electrosurgical excision procedure. This treatment modality uses a thin wire loop as the surgeon's cutting tool. The doctor passes an electric current through the loop, which allows him to slice off a very thin layer of abnormal tissue. If a woman has had multiple LEEP procedures, and doesn't have enough cervical tissue remaining for another LEEP, she may need a hysterectomy.
5. Hysterectomy Options
For most women with invasive cervical cancer, surgery options include a hysterectomy. A total hysterectomy removes only the cervix and uterus, but if the cancer has spread, surgeons may need to remove part of the vagina, which is a radical hysterectomy. Doctors can remove lymph nodes during a hysterectomy to see if the cervical cancer is spreading to other parts of the body. With either a total or a radical hysterectomy, the doctor has the option of removing the fallopian tubes and ovaries as well. Any type of hysterectomy means a woman can no longer bear children, but a woman can have a hysterectomy without going into menopause if the ovaries aren't removed.
