About 1,300 women with some form of gynecologic cancer come to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center each year, including about 200 new patients with cervical cancer.
The primary forms of treatment for cervical cancer are surgery and/or combined radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Our team approach to treatment gives each patient the benefit of expertise that is unequaled in depth of experience and skill in treating every aspect of cervical cancer.
Minimally Invasive Surgery
For women diagnosed with early-stage cervical cancer, our surgeons have been leaders in the adoption of less invasive techniques such as laparoscopic surgery. In this procedure, a thin, lighted tube with a video camera at its tip (called a laparoscope) is inserted through a tiny incision in the abdominal wall, and the image is projected onto a large viewing screen. Guided by this highly magnified image, the surgeon can operate through tiny surgical "ports" using specially designed surgical instruments. Using a minimally invasive surgical approach results in fewer complications, shorter hospital stays, and lower costs compared to traditional, open abdominal surgery.
Use of Robotics for Surgery
Memorial Sloan-Kettering was the first cancer hospital to acquire a state-of-the-art robotic da Vinci™ Surgical System for minimally invasive cancer surgery. This technology offers the surgeon a number of significant advantages, among them an enhanced view of the operating field and a greater range of motion. Our gynecologic surgeons use the robot to perform minimally invasive procedures for women with cervical cancer.
