Cervical Cancer Treatment

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 Website and from NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER or LiveHelp.

You may want to talk to your doctor about taking part in a clinical trial, a research study of new treatment methods.

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?