Contents:
- Medical Video: How Is Cervical Cancer Treated? - Manipal Hospitals
- What is cervical cancer?
- What is chemotherapy?
- When do you need chemotherapy?
- How is the cervical cancer chemotherapy procedure performed?
- What are the side effects of chemotherapy for cervical cancer?
Medical Video: How Is Cervical Cancer Treated? - Manipal Hospitals
Chemotherapy is one of the main treatments recommended by doctors to fight cancer, including cervical cancer. But do you know how is the cervical cancer chemotherapy procedure performed? What medicines are used during chemotherapy? Here's a further explanation.
What is cervical cancer?
Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that occurs in the cervix, which is the entrance to the uterus from the vagina. Cervical cancer in the early stages usually does not cause symptoms, but the most common sign that women experience is unusual vaginal bleeding, which can occur after sex, between menstrual pauses, or after menopause.
What is chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment using the use of anticancer drugs designed to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells that divide themselves quickly in the body. The goal of this treatment is to destroy cancer cells while producing the smallest possible damage to healthy cells. Chemotherapy can also be considered a way to shrink cervical cancer and reduce tumor growth. Chemotherapy can be used independently or together with radiation therapy, which is called chemoradiation. Chemotherapy can also be used to treat cervical cancer that has spread beyond the cervix.
When do you need chemotherapy?
Cervical cancer chemotherapy is usually used as the main treatment for destroying cancer cells, or before other treatment methods to minimize tumors. In fact, chemotherapy can be considered to be used after other treatments to destroy the remaining cancer cells or to relieve symptoms of advanced cancer.
How is the cervical cancer chemotherapy procedure performed?
During cervical cancer chemotherapy, the doctor will inject anti-cancer drugs into your vein or can also be taken orally. If you need to use the drug intravenously, the doctor will ask you to stay overnight in the hospital, or you can be treated as an outpatient. How many cervical cancer chemotherapy sessions you have to take will depend on the type of cancer and other treatments you may receive.
The drug you use will enter the bloodstream and reach all areas of the body, making this method useful for killing cancer cells in most parts of the body. Doctors will often give you medication in a cycle, with each treatment period followed by a recovery period. In the early stages of cervical cancer, using drugs can improve your survival.
In some situations, you can be advised to run radiation and chemotherapy given together, which is called concurrent chemoradiation. In fact, combining chemotherapy with radiation will make radiation work better. There are several options for concomitant chemoradiation such as cisplatin given every week during radiation. This drug is inserted into a vein about 4 hours before the radiation schedule, cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil (5-PU) is given every 4 weeks during radiation. In addition, drugs are also given without radiation before and / or after chemoradiation.
In addition, chemotherapy can be chosen to treat cervical cancer that has recurred after treatment or has spread. Medications will fight cancer that has spread to other organs and tissues. The drugs most often used to treat advanced cervical cancer include cisplatin, carboplatin, paclitaxel (Taxol®), topotecan, gemcitabine (Gemzar®), and more often, this combination of drugs is used.Some other drugs can also be used, such as Ocetaxel (Taxotere®), Ifosfamide (Ifex®), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), Irinotecan (Camptosar®, CPT-11) and mitomycin.
What are the side effects of chemotherapy for cervical cancer?
Although it can cure, cervical cancer chemotherapy also has side effects. The side effects of chemotherapy can be different for each patient, depending on the medication given, how often you take treatment, and your general health and fitness. Normal side effects that you can experience from drugs are nausea or vomiting, feeling tired, and loss of hair on the body or head. Chemotherapy can also cause menopause that is temporary or permanent.
The number of blood cells in the body can be reduced due to chemotherapy. Some types of cells can make you feel very tired and become more susceptible to infections, such as colds. That's why you have to undergo a routine blood test during treatment to check your complete blood count.
However, it is important to know that most of the side effects of chemotherapy for cervical cancer that you can experience are temporary. If you worry too much about the side effects, this can have a negative impact and reduce your recovery. Your team of doctors will help prevent or reduce it.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
