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The treatment and management of cervical cancer most often involves surgery and radiation therapy. Sometimes chemotherapy or biological therapy is used. The type of treatment depends on the location and size of the tumor, the stage of the cancer, your age and general health, and other factors.
Staging is a careful attempt to determine whether the cancer has spread and, if it has, what body parts are affected. The higher the stage, the more advanced the cancer and the greater the need for more aggressive therapy. Cure rates decline as the stage of the tumor increases.
The following stages are used to classify cancer of the cervix:
Treatment involves the following:
Lifestyle changes
Medications
Chemotherapy
Radiation
Other treatments
Alternative and complementary therapies
Surgery
References:
American Cancer Society website. Available at: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp .
National Cancer Institute website. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/ .
Last reviewed February 2009 by Ganson Purcell Jr., MD, FACOG, FACPE
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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