Cervical Cancer in Istanbul

Cervical cancer is the formation of cancerous cells in the tissues of the cervix, and these cells may spread to other areas of the body. How is cervical cancer treated? What are the side effects of treatment?

Methods of treating cervical cancer

There are different ways to treat cervical cancer, which are:
1. Surgery: Sometimes surgery is the only treatment for cervical cancer and is done in two ways: either open surgery, which is intended to open the abdomen, or through laparoscopy and robotic surgery. There are different forms of surgery used to treat cervical cancer, which are as follows:

Cone biopsy
The surgeon removes a cone of tissue around the cancer, including part of the healthy tissue, and is used to treat early cervical cancer, especially in women who want to have children.

Cervical resection
Removing part or all of the cervix as well as the upper part of the vagina. This is an uncommon procedure used for young women who have early stage cancer and want to have children.

Total hysterectomy
It is the removal of the uterus and cervix, and this surgery is suitable for treating most cervical cancers that are at an early stage.

Radical hysterectomy

Removal of the uterus, cervix, tissue around the cervix and upper vagina, which is a standard operation to treat most cervical cancers.

Bilateral salpingectomy
The surgeon removes the fallopian tubes. This treatment is used for women undergoing open hysterectomy.

Salpingo-oophorectomy
Removal of the fallopian tubes and ovaries, and it is performed when there is a possibility that the cancer has spread to the ovaries or if the women are of advanced age.

2. Radiation therapy: One of the methods of treating cervical cancer is radiation, where high-energy rays such as X-rays are used to kill cancer cells or prevent them from growing. This treatment depends on the type and stage of cervical cancer, and there are two types of radiation therapy: internal radiation therapy, And external radiation therapy.

3. Chemotherapy: It is used to stop the growth of cancer cells. It is used either by taking it in the form of medications orally or injecting it into a vein or muscle. It may be added as another treatment for women who have been treated with radiation therapy. Its common side effects among patients are the following: nausea and vomiting. Hair loss  Mouth ulcers.

4. Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy depends on the patient's immune system to fight cancer, as developed drugs are manufactured to stimulate and strengthen the immune system and target cancer cells.

5. Targeted therapy: Its working principle depends on the effect of medications and drugs on specific molecules in cancer cells to prevent their growth. It is used to treat cervical cancer that has spread to other parts of the body or if the cancer has come back and cannot be treated with surgery or radiotherapy.

Symptoms of cervical cancer

Unusual changes in the cells of the cervix lead to symptoms only in rare cases, but if these changes develop into cervical cancer, symptoms of cervical cancer may appear that can include: unusual bleeding from the vagina, or a change that cannot be explained In the menstrual cycle. Bleeding as a result of touching the cervix during sexual intercourse, for example, or as a result of inserting the female diaphragm to prevent pregnancy. Feeling pain during sexual intercourse. Blood-stained vaginal discharge. Among the factors that increase the risk of cervical cancer: smoking. Weakness of the immune system. Taking contraceptives for more than 5 years. Giving birth to more than 5 children.