CERVICAL CANCER

Early determination of how far the invasive cervical cancer has spread is key to selecting the most appropriate treatment...and PET Scanning can help.

Another devastating cancer affecting women is invasive cervical cancer. Although on the decline due to increased use of screening tests, an estimated 1,400 new invasive cervical cancers will be diagnosed in Canada this year, accounting for 410 cancer deaths.

Diagnosis and Early Detection

Early cancers of the cervix can generally be easily found by a Pap test: a painless, simple procedure, which should be done annually in women over the age of 18. It collects and tests cells from the cervix to look for evidence of cancer. Survival for patients with pre-invasive lesions is nearly 100%, with curative treatment possible through local procedures.

For patients in whom the cervical cancer has not been found at this pre-invasive stage, more extensive surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy may be considered. For invasive cervical cancer, PET scanning can help determine the stage of the cancer immediately after it is found, so that the most appropriate therapy can be given.

The PET scan can accurately detect invasive cervical cancer and see how far it may have spread. Call your physician or CareImaging PET Scan Clinic for information about whether you might be a candidate for PET or to schedule a PET Scan.

Treatment Follow-Up and Cancer Recurrence

Your doctor will schedule you for routing follow-up visits, depending on the stage of the cancer. Your doctors may order follow up tests and procedures to determine if the cancer returns. PET is the most useful test that you can have when doctors are staging or re-staging your cancer because it is more accurate than CT or any other test.

Before PET, it was extremely difficult to monitor patients to see if the cervical cancer had spread. Other imaging tests might not see the cancer as sensitively as PET, which could result in a delay of further treatment. Imaging with PET to look for recurrence is critical to find it at its earliest stage.

PET can also be used to image tumour response to therapy. After surgery and other treatments, PET is extremely important to monitor to see if the cancer cells have returned and help determine if treatment should be re-started.

Find the support you need

Find the support and information you need. If you've had cancer, there are programs offering information and support. The stress of any illness can often be helped by joining a support group where members share common experiences and problems

Support programs exist in a variety of formats, including counseling, support groups, and self-help programs. For those who cannot attend meetings, there are also on-line mechanisms that may allow a patient to "chat" with other people facing similar situations. These types of programs can provide a way for you to relate your experience firsthand with others and may provide treatment-related tips about drug side-effects that will be helpful to you.

More Information About Cervical Cancer:

Canadian Cancer Society
Cancer Care Ontario