Cervical Cancer - Surgery Treatment

Cervical cancer is one of the leading cancers in women and it is said to be preventable if it is detected early. Girls of the age 11 and 12 can be given a vaccine and a pap smear test schedule for the prevention of cancer.

Women, at the age of 21, or within three years of the starting sexual activity, should start taking the Pap smear test and it should be repeated every two till the age of 30 and every 3 years thereafter.

Cancer Treatments

Early detection of cancer can lead to its surgical removal and it is usually the most preferred way of treatment but not every woman has to undergo it. The different stages for the cervical cancer surgery are - Laser surgery, conization, cryosurgery, simple hysterectomy, radical hysterectomy and radical trachelectomy.

The first alternative is loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) which includes the usage of high frequency electrical current to cut and remove the diseased tissue. This procedure is done by administering local anesthetic to numb the cervix and a wire loop is inserted in the vagina. Tissue sample is removed for examination and deeper tissues are used to evaluate the endocervical canal.

The other alternative for cervical cancer surgery is laser surgery which uses a laser beam directed through the vagina instead of a knife to burn the abnormal cells or remove the tissues for biopsy.

Conization is also an option which is a surgical procedure which includes removal of a cone-shape tissue from the cervix and similar to LEEP, it uses a heated wire or a scalpel or laser, which is also known as cone knife cone biopsy. This one is beneficial as women's ability for pregnancies can be preserved in major cases.

Hysterectomy is an option which involves many kinds of procedures and it aims to eliminate the cancerous tissue by uterus removal. Those who try for pregnancy can be rest assured as the ovaries are intact after the hysterectomy procedure. If the woman cannot bear children even after ovaries are retained after hysterectomy, she would not go into premature menopause.

Women with cervical cancer usually have either a total (simple) hysterectomy or a radical hysterectomy. The total hysterectomy includes the removal of uterus and cervix but it leaves intact the vagina, lymph nodes and the parametrium. Radical hysterectomy, unlike simple hysterectomy, is the removal of uterus, cervix, parametrium and the supporting ligaments, upper vagina and the local lymph nodes (with a procedure called lymphadenectomy). If the fallopian tubes and ovaries are also removed with radical hysterectomy, the procedure is known as bilateral-salpingo-oopherectomy.

One should be aware about different surgery options and discuss with their surgeons.

Cervical Cancer - Surgery Treatment

Cancer Treatments

Skin Cancer and Alternative to Mohs Surgery

It is estimated that over 1 million new cases occur annually. It has also been estimated that nearly half of all Americans who live to age 65 will develop skin cancer at least once. The two most common forms of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. They account for approximately 96% of all diagnosed skin cancers. Together, these two are also referred to as nonmelanoma skin cancer.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer and accounts for more than 90% of all skin cancer in the U.S. These cancers almost never spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. They can, however, cause damage by growing and invading surrounding tissue. Squamous cell carcinoma is cancer that begins in the squamous cells, which are thin, flat cells that look like fish scales under the microscope. Squamous cells are found in the tissue that forms the surface of the skin, the lining of the hollow organs of the body, and the passages of the respiratory and digestive tracts. Thus, squamous cell carcinomas can actually arise in any of these tissues. Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin occurs roughly one-quarter as often as basal cell carcinoma.

Alternative Cancer

A surgical method that is often used to treat nonmelanoma skin cancer is called Mohs surgery. This highly specialized surgical technique involves first removing the visible tumor and then successive layers of skin one at a time until microscopic examination no longer reveals cancer cells. This surgery is performed while the patient is under local anesthesia. Removing and examining each layer takes about one hour, with much of this time spent looking at the removed skin. When done, the surgical wound is treated as needed. The treatment can include closing the wound with stitches, covering the surgical site with skin from another area of the body (skin graft), and moving healthy skin from a nearby area to cover the surgical wound (skin flap).

But, Mohs surgery is not the only way to successfully treat skin cancers? Surgery on the nose, ears, eyelids or lips may cause disfigurement or require reconstructive surgery under a general anesthetic to maintain the natural appearance. Brachytherapy with the Flexitron system is an effective alternative treatment for BCC (Basel Cell Carcinoma) and SCC (Squamous Cell Carcinoma) skin cancer and avoids the need for reconstructive surgery. It also has its advantages over surgery for patients with a large number of lesions, elderly patients, or patients who are otherwise inoperable, and advantages over external beam radiotherapy as it requires shorter treatment times and less side effects.

Skin Cancer and Alternative to Mohs Surgery

Alternative Cancer