Management of cervical cancer

BACKGROUND: Australia now has one of the lowest incidence and mortality rates for cervical cancer worldwide. Women who develop the disease frequently have underutilised cervical screening opportunities and commonly present with symptoms such as abnormal vaginal bleeding. OBJECTIVE: This article reviews the management of women presenting with cervical cancer in Australia today. DISCUSSION: Although fertility sparing options of management are emerging, these options are only available for women presenting with early stage disease. For women presenting with substantial disease, radical surgery and/or chemoradiation is required. These women face the rigors of radical therapy as well as challenges to their sexual identity with loss of fertility, loss of ovarian function, and vaginal shortening and stenosis. Health care providers need to be cognitive and sensitive to these issues