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Gynecologic Cancer Resources

• Diseases/Conditions
  
  • Cervical Cancer
  • Endometrial Cancer
  • Gestational Trophoblastic Disease
  • Ovarian Cancer
  • Vaginal Cancer
  • Vulvar Cancer
• Clinical Research
• Physicians
• Trusted Health References

Featured Webcasts

• Robotic Hysterectomy for Endometrial Cancer (video)
• Robotic Surgery in the Management of Gynecologic Malignancies (audio)
  
• Ovarian Cancer Treatment: The Future is Bright (audio)

Cervical cancer, linked to various strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), is one of the most common reproductive cancers in women. HPV is a sexually transmitted infection that is thought to cause most cases of cervical cancer. Most women who are exposed to HPV never experience any ill effects from the virus. However, a small percentage of women who are exposed will develop cervical cancer. Typically, cervical cancer develops slowly, and the precancerous changes in the cervix can be detected with regular Pap test screenings before cancer develops.

Because women are becoming more educated about the importance of Pap test screening for cervical cancer, the death rate has decreased over the last 50 years. However, according to the American Cancer Society, in the United States, more than 11,000 women are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer, and nearly 4,000 die every year.

Half of all cervical cancer occurs in women between the ages of 35 and 55. Although it typically develops very slowly, it sometimes doesn’t produce any symptoms until the late stages of the disease. Today, Pap screenings are the most effective way to find pre-cancerous cervical dysplasia before it develops into cervical cancer. If cervical dysplasia is detected and treated correctly, cervical cancer will rarely develop. However, if pre-cancerous changes of the cervix go undetected, they can develop into cancer that can spread to other parts of the body, such as the bladder, intestines, lungs and liver.

Prevention of Cervical Cancer – HPV Vaccine

Most cervical cancers are caused by infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that can be spread easily through sexual contact. A vaccine has been developed to prevent HPV, and, in turn, cervical cancer and most genital warts. Because the lifetime risk of an HPV infection is very high, the CDC’s Advisory Committee recommends that girls be vaccinated at age 11 or 12, although girls as young as 9 and as old as 26 can also receive the vaccine under certain circumstances.

More information

• Cervical Cancer

• Cervical Cancer Screening and Vaccine

Signs and Symptoms

Early cervical cancer can produce the following signs and symptoms:

• Vaginal bleeding after intercourse, between periods or after menopause
• Watery, bloody vaginal discharge that may be heavy and have a foul odor
• Pelvic pain during intercourse

• Development of pain to the flank or leg
• Painful urination, blood in the urine or rectal bleeding
• Swelling and edema in the lower extremities
  

Because some of these symptoms do not appear until cervical cancer is present, and because the symptoms might be mistaken for other ailments, it is imperative for women and teens, starting at the age of 21, or three years after first intercourse (whichever is earlier), to get annual Pap test screenings that can detect the earliest changes in the cervix that lead to cervical cancer.

More Information

• The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ recommendations

• Pap Smears
  

Regular Pap test screenings are the best way to detect cervical changes before they develop into cancer.

Contact

If you need more information or would like to make an appointment with a Northwestern Memorial Hospital gynecologist for yourself or your daughter for the first time, call our Physician Referral Department at (877) 926-4664 or request an appointment online.

Treatment for Invasive Cervical Cancer

The following sections discuss invasive cervical cancer. If you have cervical dysplasia, your treatment options will be different. Please refer to our cervical dysplasia page for more information.

If you have been diagnosed with cervical cancer, you are likely considering your treatment options. Invasive cervical cancer involves tissue deeper than the outside layer of the cervix, and it requires more extensive treatment than cervical dysplasia and noninvasive lesions. Your treatment options will vary depending on several factors, but the likely choices are:

• Surgery (traditional, robotic surgery or other minimally invasive surgery)
• Radiation
• Chemotherapy

Surgical Treatment Advances for Cervical Cancer

In recent years, surgeons at Northwestern Memorial have been surgically treating certain gynecologic cancer, including cervical cancer, with robotic and other minimally invasive surgical techniques. M. Patrick Lowe, MD, director of the robotics and minimally invasive surgical program for the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, was among the early adopters of robotics to treat gynecologic malignancies and is now a renowned robotic surgeon.

Today, there are only a few gynecologic oncology programs that routinely perform advanced minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for gynecologic cancer. At Northwestern Memorial, doctors often use the da Vinci® surgical system. For more information about the advantages of MIS or to find out if you might be a candidate for MIS, read our information about Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cervical cancer and you’d like to be treated by one of the gynecologic oncologists at Northwestern Memorial, your doctor may refer you. If you don’t have a doctor or would like to make an appointment with a gynecologist for the first time, call (877) 926-4664 or request an appointment online.