cervical cancer surgery

Cervical cancer

 Cervical cancer treatment has many options like conization procedure, simple or radical hysterectomy or radical trachelectomy. Large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ) is also one of the alternatives. The surgeons should educate their patients about these surgery options and should spread awareness.
Simple or radical hysterectomy is the primary treatment and if there is a recurrence of cancerous tumor in the pelvis, the patient may need to undergo a more extreme process called the pelvic exenteration which involves the combination of removal of the bladder and rectum along with radical hysterectomy. In such cases, an artificial vagina may be created with the help of plastic surgery.
Another option is of radical trachelectomy keeps the fertility intact, unlike hysterectomy, and includes the removal of cervix, upper part of vagina and surrounding lymph nodes. The remaining vagina and uterus are then re-attached after the operation. This is a new development of relatively recent and complex process of 1995 and healthcare experts are needed to perform on potential candidates who meet the regulated criteria of lesion size and lymph node involvement. This form of procedure can be done on women with stage IA2 and stage 1B cancer and it poses a threat of miscarriage during future pregnancy. Though the experiences women have shared say that they have been able to carry a baby to term and delivered not through vaginal birth but through a caesarean section.
This procedure of cervical cancer surgery – hysterectomy – is considered to be a major surgery and requires considerable hospital stay. It uses wide abdominal incision but in some cases, experienced surgeons can use less invasive techniques for women with early cancer stages, with shorter recovery period.
There may be side-effects like encountering difficulty in emptying bowels or bladder or painful lower abdomen. It is very common to have urinary tract infections and other complications may include bladder dysfunction, cysts and fistulas.
One should be aware that menstruation ceases once the uterus is removed. Menopause symptoms begin when the ovaries are removed; surgical menopause has severe symptoms then natural menopause. Natural activities and intercourse can be resumed in 4-8 weeks and pros and cons of hormone replacement therapy should be discussed by the patient and doctor.