The primary treatment options for cervical cancer include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

At OncoCare Cancer Centres, our clinical oncology team will develop a personalized treatment plan for you based on the type of cervical cancer you have, its stage, tumor characteristics, physical condition, and your desire to preserve fertility. We are committed to actively managing your condition while supporting you through the challenges of treatment and doing our utmost to preserve your quality of life.

• Surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Targeted therapy
• Immunotherapy

Surgery is usually recommended for women who have a tumour that is confined to the cervix. The type of surgery you have will depend on how far within the cervix the cancer has spread² and whether you want to be able to have children. Surgical options for patients who wish to maintain their fertility include:

• Biopsy – A cone biopsy is used to diagnose cervical cancer and can be used to treat very early and small tumours. The procedure involves removing a cone shaped section of the cervix where the cancer has been detected
• Trachelectomy – A trachelectomy refers to the surgical removal of the cervix. This type of surgery is often used to treat small cancers in young women who wish to remain fertile.
• Lymphadenectomy – For some women, lymph nodes in your pelvic region may be removed as a staging procedure to see if cancer cells have spread. This procedure is referred to as a lymphadenectomy

If remaining fertile is not a priority to you, surgical options include:

• Wertheim’s Hysterectomy – This refers to the surgical removal of the entire uterus, connective tissue, upper part of the vagina and lymph nodes
• Pelvic exenteration – A pelvic exenteration involves removing all or part of the cancerous tissue and is more commonly used in cases where cancer has returned and has not spread

Most women who have radiation therapy for cervical cancer will receive both external and internal radiation therapy.

External beam radiation therapy

External beam radiation therapy is used to treat cervical cancer by delivering radiation therapy beams to the cervix, lymph nodes and adjacent tissues where cancerous cells may have spread. Most patients will receive EBRT five days per week for five to six weeks.

Internal radiation therapy

Internal radiation therapy is also known as brachytherapy. For cervical cancer, a radiation source is placed inside the body next to the cancer in the cervix. This reduces the effect radiation has on nearby organs such as the bowel and bladder.

Chemotherapy uses a range of drugs to kill and slow the growth of cervical cancer cells. Typically, cervical cancer patients will receive low dose weekly chemotherapy alongside radiation therapy, which helps the radiation therapy to treat your cancer more effectively. This treatment method is known as concurrent chemoradiation and is the preferred treatment method for stage IB3, II and III and IVA cervical cancers.

Chemotherapy treatment for cervical cancer takes place over several sessions, known as a cycle. Your care team will walk you through how many cycles you may need for your course of treatment, with most people completing chemotherapy in a period of five to six weeks.

Common chemotherapy medicines

There are a number of different chemotherapy drugs that are used to treat cervical cancer. These drugs are typically combined based on factors such as the type of cervical cancer you have, your cancer’s stage and how much it has spread. Some of the drugs used include:

• Cisplatin – This is a drug that is used together with radiation therapy to treat cervical cancer. It is used as a radiosensitiser to help the radiation therapy work more effectively
• Carboplatin – This is a type of chemotherapy drug that contains platinum. It is usually given in combination with other drugs such as bevacizumab and paclitaxel to treat advanced cervical cancer
• Paclitaxel – This chemotherapy drug is usually given in combination with other chemotherapy drugs (for example, bevacizumab and cisplatin) to treat advanced and recurrent cervical cancer
• 5-fluorouracil – Belonging to a class of chemotherapy drugs known as antimetabolites, 5-fluorouracil may be used together with cisplatin as part of chemoradiation treatment to sensitise the cancer cells to radiation therapy

Support for Chemotherapy Side Effects: Chemotherapy may cause side effects such as nausea, fatigue, or a drop in blood cell counts. Our oncology team has extensive clinical experience and whenever clinically indicated, we will prescribe appropriate medications to alleviate these symptoms, provide guidance on nutritional supplementation, and manage pain, ensuring you maintain good physical condition throughout your treatment.

Targeted therapies use specialised drugs to destroy specific proteins in cervical cancer cells and are commonly used to treat advanced cervical cancer and cervical cancer that has returned (recurrent cancer).

• Bevacizumab – This is a targeted therapy drug used to treat advanced cervical cancer. It is usually given together with other chemotherapy drugs as an intravenous infusion every three weeks

Immunotherapy may be used to treat select advanced or metastatic cervical cancers with positive PD-L1. This treatment option uses your own immune system to slow the growth of cervical cancer cells and to destroy existing ones.

When you are diagnosed with cervical cancer, your oncologist will develop your treatment plan as part of a multidisciplinary team based on the stage of your cancer and whether you would like to have children.

Common treatment options for each stage of cervical cancer include:

Stage I

When cervical cancer is classified as stage I, there are treatment options available to help maintain your fertility. Most of these most treatment plans begin with a biopsy, and in some cases may be followed by a radical trachelectomy if there are cancer cells present in the edges of the biopsy. Some women may also receive a sentinel node biopsy or lymphadenectomy to remove surrounding lymph nodes.

If maintaining fertility is not a concern for you, your treatment plan will likely start with a hysterectomy, removing both the cervix, uterus, connective tissue as well as lymph node staging.

Stages II and III

For patients with stage II or III cervical cancer, the majority will receive radiation therapy treatment. Chemotherapy is also used to help increase the effectiveness of the radiation therapy treatment. Occasionally, some early stage IIA cervical cancer patients may be treated with a radical hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy.

Stage IV (Advanced Cervical Cancer)

For patients diagnosed with Stage IVA disease, doctors generally recommend concurrent chemoradiation therapy. If the cancer has spread to distant sites (Stage IVB), the disease is typically classified as incurable, and the treatment strategy shifts to focus on symptom relief and palliative care. Our team integrates radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and palliative care to alleviate your discomfort and do our utmost to maintain your quality of life.

In addition to providing rigorous medical treatment, we also prioritize your patient experience and your physical and emotional well-being. We are committed to offering professional and reassuring oncology care to safeguard your health and quality of life.

Multidisciplinary Consultations: Clinical oncologists collaborate with a network of other specialists to interpret your pathology reports and develop a comprehensive treatment plan.

Personalized Care and Family Support: We provide practical care guidelines from diagnosis through recovery, working alongside patients’ families to navigate challenges together.

High-Privacy Specialized Facilities: Located in Central and Tsim Sha Tsui, our clinics offer a convenient, private, and comfortable medical environment for patients requiring frequent follow-up visits.