Cervical Cancer Care

Fertility-sparing cervical surgery is a procedure for treating cancers of the reproductive organs. It involves removal of the cervix while preserving the uterus and ovaries.

This procedure has the potential to preserve a patient’s ability to conceive and have children in cases where the cancer is detected early and has not spread significantly.

This advanced procedure requires a sophisticated facility and equipment, along with highly specialized physicians. It is available at some Providence locations.

Pelvic exenteration is surgical removal of the lower colon, bladder and rectum. In women, the cervix, vagina, ovaries and surrounding lymph nodes may also be removed.

Open cervical surgery is a procedure to replace a diseased cervical disk in the spine with an artificial disk. This treatment allows for greater flexibility than removing the disk and fusing the remaining disks together.

Laparoscopic cervical surgery is a video camera-assisted procedure to remove the uterus and other reproductive organs.

Robotic cervical surgery is robotic-assisted spine surgery that allows surgeons to precisely implant screws into the cervical vertebrae.

Brachytherapy is an approach to delivering radiation treatment from a source implanted inside the body. These sources may be placed either permanently or temporarily at the tumor site.

By delivering radiation directly into a tumor, this technique spares the surrounding normal tissue any exposure to radiation and the side effects that it may bring.

This advanced procedure requires a sophisticated facility and equipment, along with highly specialized physicians and support. It is available at some Providence locations.

Interstitial high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy is a specialized brachytherapy technique in which rapidly emitting radiation sources are placed briefly inside the body through a needle catheter to irradiate the target tumor.

By delivering high-dose radiation directly into a tumor, this technique can reduce the number of treatments needed for a patient. The surrounding normal tissue is spared exposure to radiation and the side effects that it may bring.

This advanced procedure requires a sophisticated facility and equipment, along with highly specialized physicians and support. It is available at some Providence locations.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) are advanced types of radiation therapies. IMRT uses advanced technology to manipulate the radiation beams to conform to the shape of a tumor. VMAT is a subtype of IMRT in which the machine actively delivers radiation beams while moving in an arc around the patient.

This method of radiation delivery offers next-generation capabilities. The arc-based therapy provided via VMAT delivers high doses of radiation to more focused areas, reducing side effects and the overall treatment time for the patient. This treatment is particularly effective at treating several types of cancer while at the same time reducing toxicity and harm to vital organs.

This procedure is one of several new ways to deliver radiation therapy. It requires a sophisticated facility and equipment, along with highly specialized physicians. It is available at some Providence locations.

Stereotactic radiation (SABR/SBRT) is a group of treatments that includes stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and stereotactic ablative radiation (SABR) – both of which are adaptations of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) – for the treatment of targets in the body, but outside the brain. Similar to SRS, these techniques deliver very high doses of radiation using sophisticated motion management and patient immobilization techniques.

The number of radiation treatments is minimal and may range from one to five treatments delivered over one to two weeks.

This procedure is one of several new ways to deliver radiation therapy. It requires a sophisticated facility and equipment, along with highly specialized physicians. It is available at some Providence locations.

Surface-guided radiation therapy (SGRT/SIGRT) is an approach to radiation targeting that offers real-time beam guidance from face and body surface-recognition systems.

This treatment is particularly effective at treating several types of cancer while at the same time reducing toxicity and harm to vital organs, thus minimizing side effects.

This advanced procedure requires a sophisticated facility and equipment, along with highly specialized physicians. It is available at some Providence locations.

Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) is a radiation planning and treatment technique in which three-dimensional (3D) imaging enables improved targeting for radiation treatment. 3D planning with CT imaging makes radiation treatment much more conformal, or tailored to the target.

Interventional radiology is an invasive procedure guided by radiologic imaging. This approach may be used to implant a port, or vascular access device, in order to obtain diagnostic material, remove fluid from the chest or abdomen, or deliver treatment locally.

Oncofertility may involve a range of therapies with the intent of preserving a patient's ability to have children after cancer treatment. This may be sperm banking for men, or more complex interventions for women.

With improved outcomes for many cancers, preserving a patient’s fertility is important and can offer hope for a full life in the future.

Several of our cancer centers offer fertility preservation procedures. Our dedicated team is here to provide personalized care and assist patients in making informed decisions about reproductive health before, during, and after cancer treatment.