There are a number of different ways to treat cervical cancer, depending on the stage of your cancer.
Your doctors will yarn with you about what treatments they recommend and what options are best for you.
Very early cancer cells in the cervix are called precancerous cells. Not all precancerous cells need treatment.
If you do need treatment, then part of your cervix will be removed to get rid of the cancer cells. This treatment is quite simple and usually very successful. Treatments include a cone biopsy, which removes a cone-shaped piece of tissue with abnormal cells from the cervix, or a loop excision, which cuts out a larger piece of the cervix.
Sometimes laser surgery is used to destroy the cells with a laser.
If you have cervical cancer, you might need surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, or a combination of them.
Yarn with your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker about which treatment you might have and any traditional healing, bush medicines and cultural practices you may want to include in your treatment plan.
Surgery
Surgery is a procedure done in hospital to remove the cancer and help to stop it from spreading to other parts of your body. Surgery involves staying in hospital and having an anaesthetic and an operation to remove the cancer.
Some women just have a small piece of their cervix removed. Some have all the cervix removed.
Your doctor will yarn with you about what they plan before surgery.
Yarn with your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker if you have any concerns about surgery and assistance available for travel and accommodation for you and your family if you need to travel away from home for surgery.
Read more about surgery.
Radiotherapy
Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, uses X-rays to destroy cancer cells in one part of your body.
External radiotherapy
Most women who have radiotherapy have it every day 5 days per week for 4-6 weeks, and each session can take 15 minutes. But it might be different for you.
To have your radiotherapy, you might need to travel to your nearest big town or city – see this list. If your doctor thinks radiotherapy would help, and you don’t live near a radiotherapy site, assistance is available for travel and accommodation for you and your family.
Internal radiotherapy
Radiation therapy can also be given internally. This is called brachytherapy. This involves giving radiation via a needle or another device into the vagina. The device stays in place from a few minutes to a few days. Depending on the treatment and the dose of radiation you receive, you might need to stay in hospital or make a daily visit for treatment.
Your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker will be able to yarn with you about radiotherapy that is right for you.
Read more about radiotherapy.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy or ‘chemo’ involves you taking strong drugs to kill the cancer cells.
Many people have chemo in cycles – such as one day every three weeks, or sometimes once a week. You may also be recommended to have chemo at the same time as your radiotherapy, and this is usually given once a week for the duration of the radiotherapy. Some women have chemotherapy tablets at home, but most need to go to a hospital or clinic.. But you usually don’t need to stay in hospital for chemo.
Most chemo comes as injections into your arm or hand that drip in over a few hours and some need you to take home a small bottle of chemo for two days then come back to take it off again. Some chemo comes as tablets. If you’re having chemo, your doctor will tell you exactly how it will work for you.
Chemo can make some people feel sick for a while. There are things that can help, so it is important to talk to your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker about them. Mob who have had chemo say that being on Country, traditional healing, bush medicines, cultural practices, Men’s Business and Women’s Business also help during treatment.
Read more about chemotherapy and side effects.