Treatments for Uterine Cancer
Treatments for Uterine Cancer
The list of treatments mentioned in various sources
for Uterine Cancer
includes the following list.
Always seek professional medical advice about any treatment
or change in treatment plans.
Uterine Cancer: Is the Diagnosis Correct?
The first step in getting correct treatment is
to get a correct diagnosis.
Differential diagnosis list for Uterine Cancer may include:
Uterine Cancer: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers
Products, offers and promotion categories available for Uterine Cancer:
Uterine Cancer: Research Doctors & Specialists
- Pregnancy & Fertility Health Specialists:
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- Cancer Specialists:
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Hospital statistics for Uterine Cancer:
These medical statistics relate to hospitals, hospitalization and Uterine Cancer:
- 0.075% (9,544) of hospital consultant episodes were for malignant neoplasm of corpus uteri in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
- 96% of hospital consultant episodes for malignant neoplasm of corpus uteri required hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
- 100% of hospital consultant episodes for malignant neoplasm of corpus uteri were for women in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
- 10% of hospital consultant episodes for malignant neoplasm of corpus uteri required emergency hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
- 7.3 days was the mean length of stay in hospitals for malignant neoplasm of corpus uteri in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
- more hospital information...»
Hospitals & Medical Clinics: Uterine Cancer
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More general information, not necessarily in relation to Uterine Cancer,
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Medical news summaries about treatments for Uterine Cancer:
The following medical news items
are relevant to treatment of Uterine Cancer:
Discussion of treatments for Uterine Cancer:
Uterine Cancer: NWHIC (Excerpt)
Surgery is the most common treatment for cancer of the uterus. Your
doctor may take out the cancer in an operation to remove the uterus,
fallopian tubes and the ovaries, along with some lymph nodes in the pelvis
and around the aorta (the main vessel in which blood passes away from the
heart). The operation is called a total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral
salpingo-oophorectomy, and lymphadenectomy. The lymph nodes are small
bean-shaped structures that are found throughout the body that produce and
store infection-fighting cells, but may contain cancer cells. (Source: excerpt from Uterine Cancer: NWHIC)
What You Need To Know About Cancer of the Uterus: NCI (Excerpt)
Women with uterine cancer have many treatment options. Most
women with uterine cancer are treated with surgery. Some have
radiation
therapy . A smaller number of women may be treated with
hormonal
therapy . Some patients receive a combination of
therapies.
The doctor is the best person to describe the treatment
choices and discuss the expected results of treatment.
A woman may want to talk with her doctor about taking part
in a clinical trial, a research study of new treatment
methods. Clinical trials are an important option for women
with all stages of uterine cancer. The section on "The
Promise of Cancer Research " has more information about
clinical trials.
Most women with uterine cancer have surgery to
remove the uterus (hysterectomy) through an incision
in the abdomen .
The doctor also removes both fallopian tubes and both ovaries.
(This procedure is called a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy .)
The doctor may also remove the lymph nodes near the tumor
to see if they contain cancer. If cancer cells have reached
the lymph nodes, it may mean that the disease has spread to
other parts of the body. If cancer cells have not spread
beyond the endometrium, the woman may not need to have any
other treatment. The length of the hospital stay may vary from
several days to a week.
These are some questions a woman may want to ask the
doctor about surgery:
-
What kind of operation will it be?
-
How will I feel after the operation?
-
What help will I get if I have pain?
-
How long will I have to stay in the hospital?
-
Will I have any long-term effects because of this
operation?
-
When will I be able to resume my normal
activities?
-
Will the surgery affect my sex life?
-
Will followup visits be
necessary? |
In radiation therapy, high-energy rays are used to
kill cancer cells. Like surgery, radiation therapy is a local
therapy . It affects cancer cells only in the treated
area.
Some women with Stage I, II, or III uterine cancer need
both radiation therapy and surgery. They may have radiation
before surgery to shrink the tumor or after surgery to destroy
any cancer cells that remain in the area. Also, the doctor may
suggest radiation treatments for the small number of women who
cannot have surgery.
Doctors use two types of radiation therapy to treat uterine
cancer:
-
External
radiation : In external radiation therapy, a
large machine outside the body is used to aim radiation at
the tumor area. The woman is usually an outpatient in a
hospital or clinic and receives external radiation 5 days a
week for several weeks. This schedule helps protect healthy
cells and tissue by spreading out the total dose of
radiation. No radioactive materials are put into the body
for external radiation therapy.
-
Internal
radiation : In internal radiation therapy, tiny
tubes containing a radioactive substance are inserted
through the vagina and left in place for a few days. The
woman stays in the hospital during this treatment. To
protect others from radiation exposure, the patient may not
be able to have visitors or may have visitors only for a
short period of time while the implant is in place. Once the
implant is removed, the woman has no radioactivity in her
body.
Some patients need both external and internal radiation
therapies.
These are some questions a woman may want to ask the
doctor about radiation therapy:
-
What is the goal of this treatment?
-
How will the radiation be given?
-
Will I need to stay in the hospital? For how
long?
-
When will the treatments begin? When will they
end?
-
How will I feel during therapy? Are there side
effects?
-
What can I do to take care of myself during
therapy?
-
How will we know if the radiation therapy is
working?
-
Will I be able to continue my normal activities
during treatment?
-
How will radiation therapy affect my sex life?
-
Will followup visits be
necessary? |
Hormonal therapy involves substances that prevent cancer
cells from getting or using the hormones they may need to
grow. Hormones can attach to hormone
receptors , causing changes in uterine tissue. Before
therapy begins, the doctor may request a hormone
receptor test . This special lab test of uterine tissue
helps the doctor learn if estrogen and progesterone receptors
are present. If the tissue has receptors, the woman is more
likely to respond to hormonal therapy.
Hormonal therapy is called a systemic
therapy because it can affect cancer cells throughout
the body. Usually, hormonal therapy is a type of progesterone
taken as a pill.
The doctor may use hormonal therapy for women with uterine
cancer who are unable to have surgery or radiation therapy.
Also, the doctor may give hormonal therapy to women with
uterine cancer that has spread to the lungs or other distant
sites. It is also given to women with uterine cancer that has
come back. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Cancer of the Uterus: NCI)
Buy Products Related to Treatments for Uterine Cancer
Book Excerpts: Treatment of Uterine Cancer
Treatments of Uterine Cancer: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the treatments of Uterine Cancer.
Abnormal Uterine Bleeding:
Treatment
(In a Page: Signs and Symptoms)
- Acute life-threatening bleeding must be treated emergently with IV estrogen, IV fluids and/or blood replacement, curettage, and possible ligation of uterine artery or hysterectomy
- Nonacute bleeding is often treated with oral contraceptives to regulate bleeding; consider dosage change if already on oral contraceptives
–Estrogen/progesterone (avoid if contraindicated)
–Cyclic progesterone (will not prevent pregnancy)
–Other medications include tranexamic acid, danazol,
GnRH agonists, megestrol, intrauterine progesterone, and fibrinolytic agents
-
Surgery may be indicated for anatomic causes and/or if fertility is not desired
–Endometrial ablation
–Hysterectomy
-
Treat underlying etiologies (e.g. thyroid hormones for hypothyroidism, chemotherapy for leukemia, withdraw offending medications)
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: In a Page: Signs and Symptoms, 2004
Uterine cancer:
Treatment
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Treatment varies, depending on the extent of the disease:
❑Surgery — Rarely curative, surgery generally involves total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, or possibly omentectomy with or without pelvic or para-aortic lymphadenectomy. Total exenteration involves removal of all pelvic organs, including the vagina, and is done only when the disease is sufficiently contained to allow surgical removal of diseased parts. (See Managing pelvic exenteration, page 114.)
❑Radiation therapy — When the tumor isn't well differentiated, intracavitary or external radiation (or both), given 6 weeks before surgery, may inhibit recurrence and lengthen survival time.
❑ Hormonal therapy — Synthetic progesterones, such as medroxyprogesterone or megestrol, may be administered for systemic disease. Tamoxifen (which produces a 20% to 40% response rate) may be given as a second-line treatment.
❑ Chemotherapy — Varying combinations of cisplatin, doxorubicin, carboplatin, topotecan, paclitaxel, and gemcitabine are usually tried when other treatments have failed.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Malignant spinal neoplasms:
Treatment
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Treatment of spinal cord tumors generally includes decompression or radiation. Laminectomy is indicated for primary tumors that produce spinal cord or cauda equina compression; it isn't usually indicated for metastatic tumors. If the tumor is slowly progressive or if it's treated before the cord degenerates from compression, symptoms are likely to disappear, and complete restoration of function is possible. In a patient with metastatic carcinoma or lymphoma who suddenly experiences complete transverse myelitis with spinal shock, functional improvement is unlikely, even with treatment, and his outlook is ominous. If the patient has incomplete paraplegia of rapid onset, emergency surgical decompression may save cord function. Steroid therapy with dexamethasone minimizes cord edema and temporarily relieves symptoms until surgery can be performed. Partial removal of intramedullary gliomas, followed by radiation, may alleviate symptoms for a short time. Metastatic extradural tumors can be controlled with radiation, analgesics and, in the case of hormone-mediated tumors (breast and prostate), appropriate hormone therapy. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) may control radicular pain from spinal cord tumors and is a useful alternative to opioid analgesics. In TENS, an electrical charge is applied to the skin to stimulate large-diameter nerve fibers and thereby inhibit transmission of pain impulses through small-diameter nerve fibers. Chemotherapy generally hasn't proven effective against most spinal tumors, but may be recommended in some cases.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Uterine cancer:
Treatment
(Handbook of Diseases)
Uterine cancer treatment varies, depending on the extent of the disease. Generally, treatment involves surgery and radiation therapy, depending on the stage and depth of the myometrial invasion.
Surgery
Surgery generally involves total adominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy or, possibly, omentectomy with or without pelvic or para-aortic lymphadenectomy.
Radiation therapy
When the tumor isn’t well differentiated, intracavitary or external radiation (or both), given 6 weeks before surgery, may inhibit recurrence and lengthen survival time.
Hormonal therapy
Synthetic progesterones — such as hydroxyprogesterone or megestrol — may be administered for systemic disease. Tamoxifen, which produces a 20% to 40% response rate, may be given as a second-line treatment.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is not very successful in advanced endometrial carcinoma. Varying combinations of cisplatin, doxorubicin, carboplatin, or paclitaxel, as well as others, are usually tried when other treatments have failed.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
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