Cervical Cancer Treatment

Your treatment may include one or more of the following approaches:

  • Surgery to remove cancer cells from the cervix and other affected tissues
  • Radiation therapy to destroy cancer cells using high-energy radiation waves
  • Chemotherapy to kill cancer cells with drugs that focus on rapidly dividing cells, like cancer cells
  • Targeted therapy to kill cancer cells with drugs that target specific mutations or protein found only on the cancer cells
  • Immunotherapy using drugs that boost your immune system’s ability to identify and fight cancer cells

The treatment plan that’s best for you will depend on several factors, including your general health, your cancer’s stage, and your fertility desires.

While surgery is usually the primary or first treatment for cervical cancer, some patients may also need radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy.

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Fertility-sparing treatment for cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is most frequently diagnosed in younger, premenopausal women, ages 35 to 44. For this reason, fertility-sparing treatment may be an important consideration for you. Most patients with early-stage cervical cancer can undergo surgical approaches that effectively treat the cervical cancer and preserve the uterus.

In addition, Roswell Park’s Oncofertility Program, headed by Denise Rokitka, MD, can help you determine other options for fertility preservation if your cancer cannot be treated successfully with fertility-sparing options.

Because your treatment plan may involve more than one type of therapy, you’ll need the expertise of physicians from different specialty areas, such as gynecologic oncology, radiation oncology, pathology, diagnostic radiology — plus experts in fertility preservation.

Only at Roswell Park will you find all these specialists together under one roof, where they collaborate every day to consider every possible treatment option and determine the best plan for you.