Is cervical cancer usually curable?
Cervical cancer is most often treatable. Although cervical cancer is curable, several different factors affect whether it disappears permanently. The likelihood is increased by early detection and a positive response to cancer treatment. It is challenging to guarantee that cancer will not return. As a result, “remission” is a term frequently used by doctors. Less visible cancer signs and symptoms indicate a partial remission, while complete remission denotes the absence of all cancerous symptoms.
People with cancer may occasionally live cancer-free for the rest of their lives. Later, the cancer can sometimes come back. If a patient has been in complete remission for five years or longer, some doctors may declare them “cured”, but this does not absolutely denote that the disease will never recur. According to previous researches, individuals who undergo treatment for early-stage cervical cancer go int remission with only 10-15 % developing the disease again. Medical care for cervical cancer will be based on:
The extent and nature of cervical cancer
Where the cancer is located.
Whether it has spread.
General wellbeing
Typically, treatment will also involve radiotherapy, chemotherapy or surgery. In order to treat the cancer, it can also entail using specific medications. A medical care team will include specialists who will:
Describe the treatments, advantages, and negative effects.
Work with you to develop the best possible treatment plan for you.
Talk to you about how the treatment might affect the ability to have children.
Surgery
When cervical cancer is detected early, surgery is frequently the common treatment. To treat cervical cancer, various surgical procedures are used. Operations and procedures include removing:
A portion of the cervix, only if the malignancy is very small (conization)
The cervix and upper part of the vagina - it is still possible to become pregnant in the future because only the cervix and upper part of the vagina are left in place, while the womb is not removed.
The ovaries and fallopian tubes in addition to the cervix and womb (hysterectomy).
The cervix, womb, ovaries, and fallopian tubes and all or parts of the bladder, bowel, vagina, or rectum - this option is only presented if the cancer has returned and other treatments are ineffective.
Some of the lymph nodes, which are a component of the body’s drainage system, might need to be removed.
Depending on the procedure, recovery from these surgeries might be time-consuming. The medical professionals taking care of you will go over all the advantages and disadvantages.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy kills cancer cells by administering medications. Chemotherapy for cervical cancer might be administered:
With the primary method of treatment for cervical cancer being radiotherapy.
Before surgery to help in reducing the cancer’s size.
After surgery (sometimes combined with radiotherapy) can help in preventing the cancer from returning.
If the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, is progressing, or has returned.
It can be given intravenously, orally, directly into a body cavity, or into the cerebrospinal fluid by a doctor or chemotherapy nurse. Chemotherapy administered intravenously or orally can affect cancer cells anywhere in the body, while chemotherapy injected directly into a body cavity primarily affected cancer cells in that area.
Radiotherapy
High-energy radiation is used in radiotherapy to kill cancer cells. For cervical cancer, radiation may be used:
If the cancer is severe or has spread, as the primary therapy.
After surgery, typically with chemotherapy (chemoradiotherapy), to help in preventing the cancer from returning.
To aid in alleviating symptoms, such as bleeding.
There are two types of radiation therapy - in external radiation therapy, a device that focuses radiation at the cancer is used. In order to administer internal radiation therapy, a doctor must insert radioactive materials concealed in seeds, needles, wires, or catheters into or near the cancer.
The body can receive radiotherapy from the outside or from within to treat cervical cancer (brachytherapy).
Immunotherapy
Taking medications that trigger the body’s immune system to fight cancer is known as immunotherapy. It is often referred to a biotherapy or biologic therapy.
Treatment with targeted medicines
A targeted drug called bevacizumab (Avastin) may be used in the treatment of cervical cancer if it has spread or returned. Instead of curing cancer, this medication seeks to help make it smaller or stop it from getting any larger.
Another form of targeted therapy is monoclonal antibody therapy, which employs lab-grown immune system cells that can recognise the malignancy. Doctors might use this by itself or make use of the antibodies to deliver additional medications or chemicals to the cells.
Survival rates for cervical cancer
Using survival rates, one may gauge how long people live after receiving a diagnosis. Depending on the cancer stage, different average survival rates for cervical cancer exist. Doctors classify cervical cancer into four stages:
Stage I, which solely has cervix-specific cancer cells
Stage II, where the disease has advanced to the tissue around the uterus or the upper two-thirds of the vagina
Stage III, where lymph nodes and the lower part of the vagina or pelvic wall have been affected by the cancer
Stage IV, which denotes the cancer has spread to areas other than the pelvis, such as the lining of the rectum or bladder
Average survival rates for cervical cancer are lower in more advanced stages. This does not, however, guarantee what will occur in every case. The SEER database gives specific statistics on survival rates, according to the percentage of persons who, in comparison to the general population, live for at least 5 years after receiving a cancer diagnosis. They are:
92% for locally advanced cervical cancer
58% for regional cervical cancer that is in or near the pelvis
17% for cervical cancer that has spread farther and is remote
If the cancer cannot be cured
It could be exceedingly challenging to treat advanced cervical cancer. The cancer might not be curable. If so, the goal of treatment will be to lessen the cancer and its symptoms while also extending your life. You will be directed to the palliative care team or symptom control team, a specialised group of medical professionals and nurses. They will collaborate with you to control your symptoms and improve comfort.
Conclusion
Although cervical cancer is curable, it is challenging for doctors to guarantee that it will return after therapy. As a result, the term “remission” is frequently used by medical professionals to characterise cancer that has disappeared and is no longer causing symptoms.
The stage, type, and location of the cancer are only a few of the variables that affect how well a treatment for it will work. Only 10 to 15 percent of people with early-stage cervical cancer experience a recurrence after therapy, according to researches. There is less possibility of remission for cancer that has spread widely throughout the body.
In general, cervical cancer is thought to be treatable and curable, especially if it is discovered in an early stage. Cervical cancer can be found in its early, highly treatable stages by getting an annual Pap test and HPV testing every three to five years. It is important to talk to a gynecologist about arranging an examination if it has been more than three to five years since your last normal Pap smear. Cervical cancer is the only female cancer that, if diagnosed and treated early enough, is fully preventive as well as curable.
Sources:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cervical-cancer/treatment/#:~:text=Cervical%20cancer%20is%20often%20treatable,of%20cervical%20cancer%20you%20have
https://moffitt.org/cancers/cervical-cancer/faqs/how-treatable-is-cervical-cancer/
https://www.narayanahealth.org/blog/cervical-cancer-is-preventable-and-curable/