Surgery will likely be one of the first treatment approaches considered for your uterine cancer. Most often, uterine cancer surgery includes two types of operations:
- Hysterectomy to remove the uterus. Variations of this operation, that remove varying degrees of other gynecologic structures, may be considered, too. These include:
- Total hysterectomy to remove the entire uterus and cervix
- Radical hysterectomy to remove the entire uterus, the cervix and some surrounding tissue, and parts of the vagina
- Salpingo-oophorectomy to remove the fallopian tubes and ovaries.
- Unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy removes the fallopian tube and ovary on only one side, rather than both)
At Roswell Park, the majority of these surgeries are performed using minimally invasive, robotic surgery techniques. This approach results in faster healing and less blood loss but requires exceptional surgical skill and experience. Our gynecologic oncologists are high-volume surgeons working in a high-volume center.
Surgical staging for uterine cancer
During your operation, your physician may also conduct an important procedure called surgical staging. In addition to removing your uterus and possibly other structures, the surgeon also looks at all the organs and structures in the pelvis to see whether any other areas need to be biopsied. This thorough examination may also include:
- Lymph node sampling to remove certain lymph nodes to check for cancer cells
- Peritoneal wash in which the pelvic cavity is filled with fluid and then removed and examined for the presence of cancer cells.