If your doctor diagnoses you with gynecologic cancer, ask to book an appointment with a gynecologic oncologist, a specialized doctor in treating the cancers of the reproductive system of women. This doctor will work best for you to create a plan for treatment.
Cancer specialists working in the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center provide the latest treatments to treat gynecologic cancers. They determine the right plan of treatment for the patients based on the diagnosis.
Using Medications For The Treatment Of Gynecologic Cancer
Medications that are used to treat the cancer are an option to choose for some women who are diagnosed with gynecologic cancer. Using medications depends on the stage and type of cancer. The gynecologic oncologist may prescribe you:
Chemotherapy
Drugs are injected into your vein to kill the cancerous cells. Doctors may also prescribe you some medicines to take through your mouth.
Immunotherapy
It involves your immune system stimulation in order to help the body to fight the cancerous cells in a better way.
Hormone Therapy
Hormones are used in this therapy to treat gynecologic cancers. It also prevents the recurrences of certain types of gynecologic cancers.
Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy
It is a unique and intricate treatment that involves the delivery of drugs directly into the cavity of the abdomen with the help of a catheter. It directly targets cancerous cells in the area of the abdomen in some cases of ovarian cancer.
It minimizes the exposure of the drug to healthy tissues. Only highly experienced surgical and gynecologists can perform this treatment.
Surgical Cancer Treatments
Gynecologic cancer is not the same for every woman. Surgery is an important part of the treatment plan that is used to remove the tumors as soon as possible. Reduction in the size of tumor improves the efficiency of radiation of chemotherapy.
The reason is that there will be fewer tumors to treat using these therapies. Specialists sometimes use invasive techniques when surgery is included in the individualized treatment plan of people. A robot-assisted surgery or laparoscopic approach is used for the fattest recovery of patients.
Patients return to the normal lifestyle or get ready to initiate the next phase of treatment. Experienced surgeons can treat the complications of gynecologic cancers.
Types Of Surgeries Used For Gynecologic Cancers
Different procedures are used to treat different kinds of gynecologic cancers. Surgery involves the removal of the cancerous cells or tumors but it might also include the removal of pelvic organs, cervix, ovaries, and uterus. Surgical procedures that are used for gynecologic cancers are:
Debulking Surgery
In this procedure, doctors remove the tumors as much as possible. This therapy is done typically for the chemotherapy preparation so there will be fewer tumors to treat.
Total Hysterectomy
Doctors remove the areas of the cervix and uterus in this procedure.
Radical Hysterectomy
It is the removal of the cervix, uterus, and vaginal parts. It might also include the removal of fallopian tubes, ovaries, and nearby lymph nodes.
Unilateral Salpingo-oophorectomy
Doctors remove one fallopian tube and one ovary in this procedure.
Bilateral Salpingo-oophorectomy
Your doctor might remove both fallopian tubes and both ovaries in this surgical procedure.
Omentectomy
It is the removal of a fat pad in the area of the abdominal cavity named omentum.
Lymph Node Removal
Doctors remove some or all the affected or cancerous lymph in this surgical procedure.
Radiation Therapy
It is an important treatment for many gynecologic cancers. Radiation therapy is used as curative or primary treatment or as adjuvant therapy. Image-guided brachytherapy is used to kill gynecologic tumors. It proves very effective in killing these tumors.
Surrounding organs are preserved in image-guided brachytherapy. Doctors give anesthesia to patients in this procedure. They insert various applicators. These applicators work to target the areas where tumors are located. The level of precision in this therapy is very high.
Direct needle implementation in the tumor seems a complex procedure. Only a specialist can perform this surgical procedure. Choose the gynecologic doctors who care for you in the best possible way to provide you effective treatments.
If you are not satisfied with the treatment then you might consult other gynecological specialists to discuss your problems. Go for a medical checkup regularly if your doctor has diagnosed you with gynecologic cancer.
Don’t ignore the reproductive issues because they might prove worse for you in some extreme cases. It is better to consult a specialist in the early stages of your disease.
