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Stage 2 Cervical Cancer Treatment

As with any form of cancer, treatment options for cervical cancer are based on the stage and progression of the disease. With stage II cervical cancer, the cancerous cells have metastasized outside of the cervix, moving into the vagina and potentially the tissue surrounding the uterus, yet have not penetrated the pelvic wall. When this occurs, similar methods of treatment are used as in stage I, but can often become limited with further advanced forms of stage II cervical cancer.

  1. Radiation Therapy

    • Of all the treatments for stage II cervical cancer, radiation therapy is by far the most common. It is usually a combination of two forms of radiation therapy, both internal and external, that are employed in tandem with one another. With internal radiation therapy, a radioactive device is placed near or directly inside the cancerous tissue to impede its progression, shrink the actual tumor and kill the cancer. This is either followed with or preceded by external-beam radiation therapy. In this form of treatment, ionizing energy is targeted on the cancerous tissue to kill any remaining abnormal cells or shrink the malignant tumor before an internal radiation device is placed near the diseased area.

      Sometimes, radiation therapy is used in conjunction with chemotherapy, where drugs are administered either orally or intravenously to prevent the cancerous cells from dividing by altering their genetic structure, and thereby impeding their growth and killing the abnormal tissue. With cervical cancer, these "chemo" drugs are usually used after radiation therapy to rid the body of remaining cancerous cells, but your doctor may choose to use this form of therapy prior to radiation to reduce the size of tumor. The order of therapy really depends on the person, progression of the disease and your reaction to treatment.

    Hysterectomy

    • Another treatment option for stage II cervical cancer is a radical hysterectomy. When this procedure is performed, the uterus, cervix and a portion of the vagina (approximately the upper two-thirds) are removed along with any neighboring lymph nodes. For some women, this surgical process may also entail the removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes, but this varies from woman to woman, depending on the progression of the disease. For others, a hysterectomy is followed with radiation therapy, chemotherapy (the use of "cancer-killing" drugs) or a combination of both treatments.

    Clinical Trials

    • There is also the potential that stage II cervical cancer can be treated as part of a clinical trial. In this situation, you would use a new drug (or a combination of drugs) or take part in a new form of radiation therapy or even surgical procedure to cure the cancer. Sometimes, a clinical trial entails gene therapy or a combination of a new procedure to treat the cancer. The types of clinical trials available constantly change, so talk your doctor if you're interested in exploring this road of treatment.

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