Women who receive a diagnosis of cervical cancer in early stages have a few cervical cancer treatment options available to them. Many are recommended a laparoscopic hysterectomy, a minimally invasive procedure that allows for a relatively quick recovery.

Among cervical cancer treatment options, minimally invasive surgery has become increasingly popular, despite the fact that some patients have experienced problematic side effects.

New research indicates, however, that the minimally invasive cervical cancer surgery that physicians have come to rely on could pose dangerous risks or even elevate a woman’s chances of the recurrence of cervical cancer.

Risk of Radical Hysterectomy

The main reason that this type of hysterectomy has become prominent among other cervical cancer treatment options is that it was perceived as having a low risk of complications and enabling a faster time for recovery.

However, more data has recently emerged indicating that women who have early stage cervical cancer who go through the radical hysterectomy had decreased survival outcomes and an increased risk for recurrence of the cancer when compared with women who had open surgery.

These results were shared in two different studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2018 and could lead to drastic changes in how the gynecologic-oncology community use hysterectomy to treat cervical cancer.

Some physicians have already discontinued offering the minimally invasive surgery for women who have early stage cervical cancer and instead rely completely on open surgery for women in this position. Many experts, however, still have unanswered questions as to why a procedure that was perceived as low risk is causing problematic outcomes.

As of right now, however, plenty of physicians believe that enough information has been shared to warrant careful consideration of whether or not a laparoscopic radical hysterectomy is the appropriate course of treatment for a woman who has early stage cervical cancer.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Early Stage Cervical Cancer

Early stage cervical cancer is usually diagnosed following tests that indicate the presence of cancerous cells. These can include a pap test, a colposcopy, a cervical biopsy or a PET scan.

At that point, upon identification of the cancer cells, the biopsy sample cancer cells will be graded, which help physicians determine the rate at which the cancer is likely to spread.

For many years, hysterectomy has been the usual treatment for early stage cervical cancer. This procedure involves removing the cervix and the womb and occasionally the ovaries and the fallopian tubes.

Only those women who have early stage cervical cancer would have had a hysterectomy recommended to them. A radical hysterectomy involves a more comprehensive procedure which is the removal of the tissue around the cervix and the cervix itself, the womb and the upper portion of the vagina.

Any woman who has recently been diagnosed with early stage cervical cancer should carefully evaluate options and speak with a physician about other courses of treatment that might be more appropriate given the results of recent studies.  More studies are likely to be completed about the risks of recurrence with this treatment, which could shed light on whether or not the benefits outweigh any risks.

Join a Free Cervical Cancer after Hysterectomy Lawsuit Investigation

If your cervical cancer progressed after laparoscopic radical hysterectomy, or if your loved one died after such surgery, you may have a legal claim. See if you qualify to file a cervical cancer after hysterectomy lawsuit by filling out the form on this page now.

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