Gynecologic Cancer

Understanding Chemotherapy

Nothing matters more to us than getting you well, and getting you home. Depending on what type of gynecologic cancer you have and how advanced it is, chemotherapy may play an essential role in successfully treating it. That includes ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, and some advanced vulvar and vaginal cancers. Chemotherapy may be the only treatment you receive, or, more commonly, it’s used in combination with surgery and/or radiation therapy.

How Does Chemotherapy Work?

Using a combination of specialized drugs, chemotherapy has the power to destroy or slow down the growth of fast-growing cancer cells in every part of your body. It can be administered intravenously, orally, or by injection.

Depending on your type of gynecologic cancer, your oncology team will determine which drug or combination of drugs makes the most sense for you. Our Gynecologic Oncology Program also offers patients a wide range of clinical trials for chemotherapy treatments. Along the way, we're here to help however we can, answering any questions and helping you stay strong and optimistic before, during, and after your treatment.

Understanding Your Treatment Options

Radiation Therapy: What to Expect

While radiation therapy is one of the most common treatments for gynecologic cancer, at AdventHealth Cancer Institute, we do it with uncommon expertise, guidance, and compassion. Using sophisticated radiation technology, we can target tumors in and around your cervix, vagina, ovaries, and uterus with amazing precision, easing your pain and leaving healthy tissue untouched. Depending on your diagnosis, your dedicated team may recommend radiation alone, but in many cases, we combine it with surgery and chemotherapy.

How Does Radiation Therapy Work?

Our oncology experts take an individualized approach to every patient’s treatment plan. Radiation therapy targets specific areas of the body, shrinking tumors and killing cancer cells by damaging their DNA.

When treating digestive tract cancer, radiation therapy is usually delivered one of three ways:

• External radiation, which delivers radiation in a concentrated beam to keep nearby healthy tissue unaffected, often using imaging to guide the treatment.
• Internal radiation delivers concentrated doses of radiation guided by ultrasound, keeping healthy nearby tissue safer.

Systemic radiation is a treatment that is swallowed or injected and then travels through your bloodstream to target and shrink cancer cells.

Throughout your treatment, your nurses and your radiology care team are there to keep you and your support system informed, comfortable, and uplifted.

Understanding Surgery

If surgery is part of your treatment plan, it’s reassuring to know that your health is in the hands of specialized surgeons. As a recognized leader in gynecologic cancer care, we’re helping patients heal through innovative surgical care day in and day out.

Options for Surgery

Surgical procedures for gynecologic cancer can be a promising step forward on your path to healing. Your dedicated team of cancer specialists will review every detail of your medical history and recent tests to recommend the strongest, most effective treatment plan for you. Surgery may be the only treatment you need, or it can also be used in combination with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.

Gynecologic cancer surgery can mean a hysterectomy, which is the removal of the uterus and, usually, the cervix. We’ll perform either a simple or radical hysterectomy:

• Simple hysterectomy is a procedure for early-stage cancers in which the surgeon removes the uterus and cervix, leaving the surrounding organs safely untouched.
• Radical hysterectomy is a procedure in which the uterus, cervix, top of the vagina, and sometimes ovaries and fallopian tubes are removed for a fuller cancer treatment.
• We can perform hysterectomies in a number of ways:
• Abdominal hysterectomy is when the surgeon makes an incision across the abdomen to gain access to and remove organs.
• Vaginal hysterectomy requires no incision, and the surgeon removes the uterus and cervix through the vagina.
• Laparoscopic hysterectomy is a minimally-invasive procedure to remove organs through small incisions. It is quicker, less painful, and leaves smaller scars.
• Da Vinci® Robotic hysterectomy is a newer strategy for surgeries and uses a state-of-the-art robotic tool for higher precision, fewer scars, and a quicker recovery.

Whatever the procedure, we’ll guide you through from pre-op to post-op recovery with open arms and soothing spirits.