Treatment for cervical cancer

Your doctor will advise you on the best plan of treatment, taking into account a number of factors. These include your age and general health, and the type| and stage| of the cancer.

Early-stage cancer

Surgery is often the main treatment for cancer of the cervix in its early stages (where it is only in the cervix).

Radiotherapy may be used as an alternative to surgery for early stage cancer. It is sometimes given after surgery if there is a risk that some cancer cells may be left behind. This helps reduce the risk of the cancer coming back. Often radiotherapy is combined with chemotherapy for larger tumours in the cervix (over 4cm). This is known as chemoradiation.

Chemotherapy is occasionally used before surgery, to shrink the cancer and make the operation easier, but this is not common. If it’s given, it’s usually combined with radiotherapy treatment.

Locally advanced cancer

If the cancer has spread beyond the cervix, and can’t be cured with surgery alone, radiotherapy is usually given in combination with chemotherapy rather than surgery. 

Advanced and recurrent cancer

Chemotherapy may be given to women whose cancer has spread to other parts of the body or if the cancer comes back after radiotherapy. It is used in this situation to try to shrink and control the cancer and relieve symptoms, to prolong a good quality of life. This is known as palliative treatment . Occasionally an operation known as a pelvic exenteration may be carried out, although this is only suitable for a small number of women.