There are several ways to treat gynaecological cancers depending on the type of cancer and how far it has progressed.
Treating cancer is a multimodality approach, where women with a gynaecological cancer often get more than one kind of treatment.
Surgical Cancer Treatments
Surgery is the key component of the treatment plan in the management of gynaecological cancers as it is important to remove all the cancerous cells first before any other form of treatment. Minimally invasive surgery through small incisions is recommended whenever possible.
- Complete tumour removal: As the name suggests, complete removal of cancerous tissue from the site.
- Debulking surgery: Removal of as much tumour as possible to make therapy treatment more effective.
- Hysterectomy: Removal of uterus and cervix.
- Salpingo-oophorectomy: Removal of ovary and fallopian tubes.
- Lymph node dissection: Removal of lymph nodes where cancer has affected.
- Other surgery maybe required e.g. bowel surgery etc in order to achieve total clearance of the cancer.
Medical Therapy
Chemotherapy: Uses drugs injected into a vein or given orally to kill cancer cells.
Immunotherapy: Involves stimulation of the immune system to fight off cancer cells.
Hormone therapy: Makes use of hormones to treat, modulate and prevent recurrence of these cancers.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is also an essential treatment in many gynaecological cancers. A radioactive source is applied to the targeted area, preferably with high precision, to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours.
