Treatment Options for Cervical Cancer, by Stage

Stage IA1

Treatment for this stage depends on whether or not you want to be able to have children (maintain fertility) and whether or not the cancer has grown into blood or lymph vessels (called lymphovascular invasion).

Treatment options for women who want to maintain fertility

A cone biopsy is the preferred procedure for women who want to have children after the cancer is treated.

• If the edges of the cone don’t contain cancer cells (called negative margins), the woman can be watched closely without further treatment as long as the cancer doesn’t come back.
• If the edges of the cone biopsy have cancer cells (called positive margins), then cancer may have been left behind. This can be treated with a repeat cone biopsy or a radical trachelectomy.
• If the cancer has grown into blood or lymph vessels, one treatment option is a cone biopsy (with negative margins) with removal of pelvic lymph nodes. Another option is a radical trachelectomy along with removal of the pelvic lymph nodes.

Treatment options for women who don’t want to maintain fertility

• A simple hysterectomy may be an option if the cancer shows no lymphovascular invasion and the edges of the biopsy have no cancer cells. If the edges of the biopsy have cancer cells present, a repeat cone biopsy or a radical hysterectomy with removal of the pelvic lymph nodes might be an option.
• If the cancer has grown into blood or lymph vessels, you might need a radical hysterectomy along with removal of the pelvic lymph nodes. Sometimes, surgery is not done and external beam radiation to the pelvis followed by brachytherapy is used.

If none of the lymph nodes are found to have cancer, radiation may still be discussed as an option if the tumor is large, if the tumor has grown into blood or lymph vessels, or if the tumor is invading the surrounding connective tissue that supports organs such as the uterus, bladder, vagina (the stroma).

If the cancer has spread to the tissues next to the uterus (called the parametria) or to any lymph nodes, or if the tissue removed has positive margins, radiation (EBRT) with chemotherapy is usually recommended. The doctor may also advise brachytherapy after the combined chemo and radiation are done.

Stage IA2

Treatment for this stage depends in part on whether or not you want to continue to be able to have children (maintain fertility).

Treatment options for women who want to maintain fertility

• Cone biopsy with removal of pelvic lymph nodes (pelvic lymph node dissection)
• Radical trachelectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection

Treatment options for women who don’t want to maintain fertility

• External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) to the pelvis plus brachytherapy
• Radical hysterectomy with removal of pelvic lymph nodes

 If none of the lymph nodes have cancer cells, radiation may still be an option if the tumor is large, if the tumor has grown into blood or lymph vessels, or if the tumor is invading the surrounding connective tissue that supports organs such as the uterus, bladder, vagina (the stroma).

If the cancer has spread to the tissues next to the uterus (called the parametria) or to any lymph nodes, or if the tissue removed has positive margins, radiation (EBRT) with chemotherapy is usually recommended. The doctor may also advise brachytherapy after the combined chemo and radiation are done.

Stages IB and IIA

Stages IB1 and IB2

Treatment options for women who want to maintain fertility

• Radical trachelectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection and sometimes removal of the para-aortic lymph nodes

Treatment options for women who don’t want to maintain fertility

• Radical hysterectomy with removal of lymph nodes in the pelvis and sometimes lymph nodes from the para-aortic area. If none of the lymph nodes are found to have cancer, radiation may still be discussed as an option if the tumor is large, if the tumor has grown into blood or lymph vessels, or if the tumor is invading the surrounding connective tissue that supports organs such as the uterus, bladder, vagina (the stroma). If the cancer has spread to the tissues next to the uterus (called the parametria) or to any lymph nodes, or if the tissue removed has positive margins, radiation (EBRT) with chemotherapy is usually recommended. The doctor may also advise brachytherapy after the combined chemo and radiation are done.
• Radiation using both brachytherapy and external beam radiation therapy may be an option if a woman is not healthy enough for surgery or if she decides she does not want surgery. Chemotherapy (chemo) may be given with the radiation (concurrent chemoradiation).

Stage IIA1

Treatment options

• Radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection and para-aortic lymph node sampling: If cancer cells are found in the removed lymph nodes, or in the edges of the tissue removed (positive margins), surgery may be followed by radiation therapy, which is often given with chemo (concurrent chemoradiation).
• Radiation with or without chemotherapy: The radiation therapy includes both external beam radiation and brachytherapy. The chemo may be cisplatin, carboplatin, or cisplatin plus fluorouracil. 

Stages IIB, III, IVA

Treatment options

Chemoradiation: The chemo may be cisplatin, carboplatin, or cisplatin plus fluorouracil. The radiation therapy includes both external beam radiation and brachytherapy.

Stage IVB

At this stage, the cancer has spread out of the pelvis to other areas of the body. Stage IVB cervical cancer is not usually considered curable. Treatment options include radiation therapy with or without chemo to try to slow the growth of the cancer or help relieve symptoms. Most standard chemo regimens include a platinum drug (cisplatin or carboplatin) along with another drug such as paclitaxel (Taxol), gemcitabine (Gemzar), or topotecan. The targeted drug bevacizumab (Avastin) with chemo, immunotherapy alone with pembrolizumab (Keytruda), the targeted drug tisotumab vedotin-tftv (Tivdak), or pembrolizumab (Keytruda) with chemo (with or without bevacizumab [Avastin]), may also be options.

Clinical trials are testing other combinations of chemo drugs, as well as some other experimental treatments.

Recurrent cervical cancer

New treatments that may benefit patients who have distant recurrence of cervical cancer are being evaluated in clinical trials.

Cervical cancer in pregnancy