Cervical cancer detected in its early stages can be cured with treatment and close follow-up. Treatment choices for cervical cancer may include one or more of the following therapies:

• Surgery to remove the cancer
• Radiation therapy to treat the cancer itself or other organs affected by the cancer
• Chemotherapy to help make the cancer more sensitive to radiation therapy and to treat cancer that has spread (metastasized)

Your quality of life becomes a critical issue when considering treatment options. Be sure to discuss your personal preferences with your oncologist when he or she recommends treatment.

Initial treatment

The choice of treatment and the long-term outcome (prognosis) of cervical cancer depends on the type and stage of cancer. Your age, overall health, quality of life, and desire to be able to have children must also be considered. Treatment choices for cervical cancer may be a single therapy or a combination of therapies, such as:

• Cone biopsy to remove the cancer.
• Simple hysterectomy to remove the uterus and cervix.
• Modified radical hysterectomy and lymph node dissection to remove the cancer.
• Radiation therapy, which uses high-dose X-rays or implants in the vaginal cavity to kill cancer cells.
• Chemotherapy, which uses medicines to kill cancer cells.
• Radical trachelectomy to remove the cervix and the pelvic lymph nodes (lymph node dissection). But the uterus is left in place. This treatment is done less often.

Chemotherapy may be given at the same time as radiation therapy (chemoradiation). Studies show that chemotherapy given at the same time as radiation treatment (chemoradiation) improves survival rates in stages IIB, IIIA, IIIB and IVA cervical cancer without significantly increasing the side effects of either treatment. Chemoradiation may also improve survival rates in stages IB and IIA for women with large tumors.^{5, 6, 1} Compared with radiation alone, chemoradiation improves survival.⁷ It is usually used as the primary therapy or after a hysterectomy.

Microinvasive squamous cell carcinoma (stage IA1) with minimal invasion into deeper cell layers is the most treatable stage with the highest survival rates. This stage is treated with a cone biopsy or loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) or simple hysterectomy; 5-year survival rates are close to 100%.⁸

Most treatments for cervical cancer cause side effects. Side effects may differ, depending on the type of treatment used and your age and overall health. Your doctor can talk to you about your treatment choices and the side effects associated with each treatment.

• Side effects of chemotherapy may include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, mouth sores, or hair loss.
• Side effects of radiation therapy may include fatigue, skin irritation, or changes in your bowel or urinary habits.
• Side effects of surgery depend on the surgery used to treat the stage of your cancer.