Cervical Cancer

Overview

Mayo Clinic brings a compassionate and multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of cervical cancer. Teams of physicians base treatment on the stage of the cancer and the needs of the patient. Mayo Clinic is a member of the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG), a national organization whose members conduct research to find the best strategies for gynecologic cancer treatment. In addition, the National Cancer Institute has designated Mayo Clinic Cancer Center as a comprehensive cancer center. This designation is given to cancer centers whose cancer researchers and clinicians meet stringent standards. Mayo Clinic surgeons are known nationally for their skill and coordination of care for patients requiring multidisciplinary treatments such as radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery.

Diagnosis

If a Pap smear is abnormal, a colposcopy (examination of the cervix using a magnifying lens) and a biopsy (the collection and examination of tissue) may be performed to determine whether cancer is present. Once cancer is identified, other tests may be necessary to determine the best approach to treatment. Read more about cervical cancer diagnosis.

Treatment Options

Surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of these modalities may be used to treat cervical cancer at Mayo Clinic. In addition, patients have access to relevant clinical trials. The extent of a patient's disease, her age, desire to have children, and general medical condition play an important part in determining optimal treatment. Read more about cervical cancer treatment options.

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About Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers that affect a woman's reproductive organs. Various strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection, play a role in causing most cases of cervical cancer.

When exposed to HPV, a woman's immune system typically prevents the virus from doing harm. In a small group of women, however, the virus survives for years before it eventually converts some cells on the surface of the cervix into cancer cells. Half of cervical cancer cases occur in women between ages 35 and 55.

Thanks largely to Pap test screening, the death rate from cervical cancer has decreased greatly over the last 50 years. Still, every year more than 11,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer, and nearly 4,000 die of cervical cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. Around the world, cervical cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer death in women.

Read more at
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