Cervical cancer: Approach to Care

The physicians and staff of the UF Gynecologic Cancer Program provide patients with comprehensive care to improve their quality of life both during and after treatment.

We offer extensive support services, including:

  • Tumor board team of specialists
  • Psychological counseling
  • Outpatient rehabilitation, including physical therapists who are experts in pelvic rehabilitation
  • Multidisciplinary Cancer Survivor Program providing resources to assist cancer survivors in adjusting to life after cancer
  • Tissue bank for genetic analysis
  • UF Cancer Genetics Program with certified geneticcounselors and nurse specialists who provide cancer risk assessments to individuals and families with a history of cancer

Treating Gynecologic Cancers with Advanced Academic Health Center Resources

Ovarian Cancer

Medical advances leading to more effective treatments have greatly enhanced the five-year survival rate of women with ovarian cancer when diagnosed in the early stages.

Genetic Counseling
Because women with a family history of ovarian and/or breast cancer are at increased risk of developing ovarian cancer, genetic testing may be provided through the UF Cancer Genetics Program, which includes certified genetic counselors and nurse specialists. This team can then develop plans for long-term monitoring and care.

Treatment
Surgery is the first line of treatment for ovarian cancer. Depending on the type and stage of the cancer, as well as the patient's desire to have children, this surgery may include removal of the ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes, nearby lymph nodes and omentum.

  • Focus on sparing the uterus and healthy ovary in women with stage I cancer
  • Egg removal and freezing prior to surgery is available
  • Tumor debulking is performed to remove as much of the cancer as possible
  • After surgery, a combination of chemotherapy is used to destroy remaining cells
  • Intravenous chemotherapy
  • Intraperitoneal chemotherapy application in cavity where tumor resides, which greatly improves outcomes

Cervical Cancer

The UF Gynecologic Cancer Program treats the most complex cases of cervical cancer, including squamous cell, invasive adenocarcinoma and recurrent cancer of the uterine cervix.

Treatment
Treatment options for cervical cancers depend on the stage of the disease, the patient's age and the desire to have children. They include:

  • Cryosurgery to destroy abnormal tissue such ascarcinoma in situ
  • Total hysterectomy
  • Hysterectomy with salpingo-oophorectomy (unilateral or bilateral)
  • Radical hysterectomy
  • Pelvic exenteration
  • Loop electrosurgical excision procedure, known as LEEP
  • MRI-guided brachytherapy to target tumor site more precisely and reduce radiation dose to nearby tissue
  • Image-guided radiation therapy following surgery to decrease radiation dose to small bowel
  • Cisplatin-based chemotherapy used in combination with radiation to significantly increase survival

Uterine Cancer

Uterine cancers are the most common cancer of the female reproductive tract. Most uterine cancers are discovered early because of the warning signs, and the survival rate for all stages of uterine cancer is approximately 84 percent and 90 to 95 percent if discovered at its earliest

Treatment
Surgery is the primary treatment for uterine cancer.Depending on the stage of the disease and the patient's overall health, this may be performed through traditional surgery or aparoscopically. Procedures include:

  • Total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy
  • Radical hysterectomy
  • Robot-assisted surgery for hysterectomy
  • Lymphadenectomy to determine the presence of cancer cells in the pelvic lymph nodes
  • Tumor debulking

Radiation therapy is often used after surgery or as the primary treatment modality when surgery is not an option. The UF Gynecologic Cancer Program uses two types of radiation therapy as part of treatment:

  • External beam radiation, using image-guided IntensityModulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
  • MRI-guided brachytherapy with seeds planted internally into the uterus to deliver radiation to a very targeted area

Radiation therapy is performed both as part of inpatient care and on an outpatient basis. If the cancer cells are shown to have receptors for hormones, hormone therapy may be used to slow their growth. This includes the use of progestins to block the growth of endometrial cells and estrogen-blocking or binding drugs in combination with progesterone.