Cervical Dysplasia & Cancer

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while cervical cancer used to be the leading cause of cancer deaths for women in the U.S., in the past 40 years, the number of cases of cervical cancer and the number of deaths from cervical cancer have decreased significantly. This decline is attributed to the fact that many women get regular 9:35 AM 8/27/2015tests to identify precancer before it becomes cancer.

Cervical dysplasia is the presence of abnormal or precancerous cells on the top layer of the cervix. If detected early, dysplasia can be treated to prevent cancer from developing.

Typically, there are no symptoms associated with cervical dysplasia.

Cervical cancer can develop from 2 types of cells: the outside cells of the cervix or the glandular cells from the muscle. Cervical cancer usually is one or the other type, but in rare cases both types can occur simultaneously.

Early on, cervical cancer will most likely not have any symptoms. As it progresses, symptoms could include:

• Abnormal bleeding

• Bleeding after intercourse

• Bleeding after menopause

• Pelvic or abdominal pain (advanced stage)

• Blood in urine (advanced stage)

• Blood in stool (advanced stage)

Learn more about these procedures.

Different types of treatment are available for patients with cervical cancer. The three types of standard treatment are surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.

Surgery is commonly used to treat cervical cancer and is the only cure for the disease. The type of surgical procedure needed depends on the stage and grade of cervical cancer. Small, highly localized areas of precancerous cells or early stages of cervical cancer may be treated with the following:  

• Cryosurgery uses an instrument to freeze and destroy a small area of precancerous cells.

• Loop electro-surgical excision procedure (LEEP) can be used for slightly more invasive cells, because it uses a thin wire loop to cut away a small area of tissue.

• Cold knife conization (CKC) can also be used to remove a small area of precancerous or cancerous cells. CKC is effective for lesions within the opening of the cervix or cervical canal.

For cervical cancer that is not localized to the cervix or for patients who do not wish to preserve future fertility, hysterectomy, removal of the uterus and cervix, is typically the best treatment option as it prevents a recurrence of cervical cancer.

Developed at The Center for Innovative GYN Care, DualPortGYN is a recent advancement in minimally invasive GYN surgery that uses two cosmetically appealing five millimeter incisions in the abdomen, and a technique known as retroperitoneal dissection (RPD) to remove endometriosis tissue.

RPD allows surgeons to map the organs and arteries in the pelvis, much like a GPS system, reducing the time of the procedure and avoiding injury to the pelvic structures. DualPortGYN also uses a technique called bilateral uterine artery ligation to control blood loss during surgery. The use of this technique can significantly reduce complication rates and recovery times.

With both of these techniques, the surgeon can see the entire pelvic region to ensure the procedure is performed safely and effectively.

Learn more about cervical cancer.

Uterine cancer

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, endometrial cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women in the U.S. and the most commonly diagnosed gynecologic cancer. In 2014, more than 52,000 new cases were reported. If detected early however, it has one of the highest cure rates.

According to the American Cancer Society there are 2 main types of cancer of the uterus are:

• Endometrial carcinomas, which start in the cells of the inner lining of the uterus (the endometrium). Nearly all cancers of the uterus are this type.

• The more rare type are uterine sarcomas which start in the muscle layer (myometrium) or supporting connective tissue of the uterus. These include uterine leiomyosarcomas and endometrial stromal sarcomas.

• Most women with endometrial cancer become aware of a medical problem because of unanticipated bleeding (not associated with menstruation), usually occurring after menopause. Women who have already entered menopause and experience this type bleeding should contact their doctor right away. Fortunately, 80 percent of women diagnosed after developing abnormal bleeding will have cancer limited to the uterus (Stages I and II) and a high proportion are cured.

• Uterine cancer can also cause pelvic pain or pain during intercourse, as well as difficult or painful urination.

Note: Many other conditions have similar symptoms, but patients should consult a doctor if they experience these symptoms.

While treatment options such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy are the right choices for some women, surgery is the most common treatment and the only cure for uterine cancer. Learn more about the treatment options, and how laparoscopic hysterectomies offer much faster recovery times and fewer complications than standard open procedures.

Developed at The Center for Innovative GYN Care, DualPortGYN is a recent advancement in minimally invasive GYN surgery that uses two cosmetically appealing five millimeter incisions in the abdomen, and a technique known as retroperitoneal dissection (RPD) to remove endometriosis tissue.

RPD allows surgeons to map the organs and arteries in the pelvis, much like a GPS system, reducing the time of the procedure and avoiding injury to the pelvic structures. DualPortGYN also uses a technique called bilateral uterine artery ligation to control blood loss during surgery. The use of this technique can significantly reduce complication rates and recovery times.

With both of these techniques, the surgeon can see the entire pelvic region to ensure the procedure is performed safely and effectively.

Ovarian Cancer

There are three types of malignant (cancerous) ovarian tumors. They can originate from the:

• Surface of the ovary in the cells covering or lining the ovaries, called the epithelium. This is the most common type.

• Cells within the ovaries that will eventually become eggs, called germ cells.

• Cells that secrete hormones and connect the different structures of the ovaries, called sex cord-stromal cells.

According to the National Cancer Institute, each year, more than 21,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The American Cancer Society also reports that ovarian cancer accounts for about 3% of cancers among women, but it causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.

Symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague and not specific to the disease. They may include:

• Abdominal pain

• Abdominal bloating

• Constipation

• Poor appetite

• Nausea and vomiting

• Increasing abdominal girth

• Abnormal bleeding

As with other cancers, treatment for ovarian cancer depends on the stage. Despite surgical removal of the tumor, many patients with ovarian cancer will already have microscopic cancer cells, called micrometastases, which may have spread away from the ovary to other locations in the abdomen and distant parts of the body.

Surgery is a local therapy and cannot treat micrometastatic cancer. Because ovarian cancer is often detected at an advanced stage, the majority of patients will receive chemotherapy as part of the overall treatment plan.

Often, patients with ovarian cancer are initially treated with surgery aimed at debulking (decreasing the size of) the tumor. This type of surgery, in which the goal is to remove the greatest volume of cancer cells possible, is also called “cytoreductive” surgery. After completion of the surgery, most patients are placed on a chemotherapy regimen.

Developed at The Center for Innovative GYN Care, DualPortGYN is a recent advancement in minimally invasive GYN surgery that uses two cosmetically appealing five millimeter incisions in the abdomen, and a technique known as retroperitoneal dissection (RPD) to remove endometriosis tissue.

RPD allows surgeons to map the organs and arteries in the pelvis, much like a GPS system, reducing the time of the procedure and avoiding injury to the pelvic structures. DualPortGYN also uses a technique called bilateral uterine artery ligation to control blood loss during surgery. The use of this technique can significantly reduce complication rates and recovery times.

With both of these techniques, the surgeon can see the entire pelvic region to ensure the procedure is performed safely and effectively.

Learn more about ovarian cancer.

When seeking treatment for cancer, women should consider:

• Is my procedure the least invasive? New treatments exist. Patients of advanced laparoscopic procedures have a shorter hospital stay or none at all, minimal pain, and a faster recovery.

• Have I chosen a surgical specialist? OB-GYNs are trusted generalists, but focus a majority of their time on obstetrics. When considering surgery to treat cancer, be sure to identify a surgical specialist who has received comprehensive training and concentrates his/her practice in this type of care.