Best hospitals for the cervical cancer diagnosis and treatment

Cervical cancer is the fourth most widespread cancer in women. The good news is, it is one of the most treatable malignant tumors, especially in timely diagnosis making. After disease detection, all efforts are made to specify its stage and work out individual plan of therapy.

For instance, if a woman wants to become mother in the future, doctors choose techniques that preserve reproductive potential.

Up-to-date treatment methods give more chances to detect the disease early enough, preserve childbearing ability in young patients, and ensure long relapse-free survival.

Diagnosis making and stage determining

Detecting the suspicious signs during the gynecological inspection or Pap test, a doctor will extend the volume of examination:

• Colposcopy – is the more precise visual examination of the uterus cervix with the colposcope (magnifying device) and camera (images are recorded for the subsequent printing). Doctor may additionally apply iodine solution or dilute acetic acid, which facilitates revealing the atypical cells.
• Biopsy (tissue sampling) may be performed during the colposcopy, in the form of endocervical scraping, or cone-shaped biopsy. Further histological and immunohistochemical examination will provide doctor with comprehensive characteristics of the neoplasm. Biopsy is the most reliable diagnostic procedure that allows diagnosis confirmation.
• MRI and CT scan are helpful in assessing state of the nearby tissues and organs. This is essential for the tumor size estimation and metastases search.

Depending on the obtained data, cancer stage is determined (from stage 0, or carcinoma “in situ”, to advanced stage 4 cancer). After this, treatment scheme is elaborated.

Treatment options for monotherapy and complex therapy

During the therapy planning, a doctors always consider wish of a woman to have children in the future. This is important, as certain methods make it impossible to bear a child. Other ones damage ovaries, so all eggs die prematurely. Possible options are the following:

1. Surgery. Surgical resection includes a number of techniques: laser surgery or cryosurgery for carcinoma in situ, endoscopic cervix resections, hysterectomy for stage 2-3 tumors, etc. Each intervention is aimed at removing malignant cells, preserving ovaries (in women of reproductive age) and childbearing ability (if necessary).
2. Radiation therapy. This includes external and internal irradiation (brachytherapy). Radiotherapy may be performed after surgery or as an independent option in the inoperable tumors. It is highly efficient in recurrent cancer cases.
3. Chemotherapy. Chemotherapeutic agents are typically used in combination with radiation therapy. Such combined scheme mutually enhances the final effect. Chemotherapy prevents metastasizing and consolidates surgery results.
4. Immunotherapy. Immunotherapy is mostly administered at the advanced cancer stages. The recommended medication is pembrolizumab (Keytruda). This is the immune checkpoint inhibitor. Targeted drugs are another suitable option. For instance, this is Bevacizumab (Avastin), the angiogenesis inhibitor.

Symptomatic therapy is performed simultaneously in order to manage side effects and improve patient’s general condition. After the completion of main medical program, rehabilitation starts. It restores good quality of life and helps to return to the everyday activities.

Choosing the hospital abroad with Booking Health

As a rule, undergoing cervical cancer treatment in a leading, specialized hospital provides patients with better outcomes and lower complications risks. Timely suitable treatments and individual consolidation measures are essential for the recovery, while insufficient therapy poses significant relapse risks.

Due to the good development of the medical sphere, leading in gynecology and oncology hospitals are located in Europe, namely in Germany.

If you have little experience of undergoing treatment abroad, you can make your trip more convenient and safe with the help of Booking Health. Booking Health is the international medical tourism provider with the unique certification in this sphere (certificate ISO 9001:2015). The company will assist you in the following aspects:

• Choosing the right oncological center with good success rates
• Establishing preliminary communication with your doctors
• Making the appointment without long waiting
• Preparing preliminary medical program, so you can investigate it in advance
• Further monitoring of medical program by our independent experts
• Excluding overpricing and additional fees for the non-citizens (saving up to 50% of total cost)
• Control of final calculation and return of unspent funds
• Keeping in touch with the clinic after treatment completion, organization of distant consultations
• Organizational service of the highest level: booking accommodation and tickets, transfer, interpreter services

Should you leave the treatment request on the official website of Booking Health, a medical advisor or patient case manager will contact you the same day. You will be guided through all steps of treatment in the best hospital abroad.

While staying in the foreign country, we will keep in touch with you 24/7 and help in non-medical and medical issues