When cervical cancer is only located outside the cervix, in its exterior lining - and is not located inside the cervix - it is referred to as noninvasive cervical cancer. Any cancer labeled "noninvasive" refers to the cancer's location---and the fact that it is not actually located inside the organ, muscle, or other body part. Noninvasive cancers are easier to treat than more intensive cancers because of their more accessible locations and limited cancer cell damage. There are five noninvasive cervical cancer treatment options, and only one of these five actually requires the removal of the cervix.
Treatment Types
According to the Mayo Clinic, there are five noninvasive cervical cancer treatment options and each offer less intensive treatment than one might experience with most other cancer treatment options (which typically use radiation, chemotherapy, or multiple surgeries). One of the noninvasive cervical cancer treatments, loop electrosurgical excision procedure--also known as LEEP--actually uses a wire, not a scalpel. Cone biopsy, known as conization, is another noninvasive cervical cancer treatment type, as is laser surgery, cryosurgery and hysterectomy.
Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP)
The loop electrosurgical excision procedure (known as LEEP) focuses entirely on slicing away cancer located at the cervix mouth by use of a wire loop. This wire loop, and its electrical currents, can clear away the cancerous cells at the mouth of the cervix with as much precision as a surgeon's scalpel.
Cone Biopsy (conization)
In this procedure, a surgeon's scalpel is used to obtain tissue from both the lower and the upper cervical area. Since the shape of the cervical tissue area removed is typically cone-shaped, due to the shape of the cervix and the surrounding upper and lower layers, the procedure is called a cone biopsy.
Laser Surgery
In this surgical procedure, cancerous cells--and those in a pre-cancerous state--are both destroyed when the surgeon applies a very intense light in the form of a beam. The beam, narrow in scope, is directed only at the cancerous area being treated, so it does not cause damage to surrounding healthy tissues.
Cryosurgery
Using extreme temperature, a freezing one in this case (instead of heat and light, as used in the laser surgery), this type of noninvasive cervical cancer treatment attempts to freeze--and thus kill--the cancer cells in the outer cervical area.
Hysterectomy
When one of the aforementioned noninvasive cervical cancer treatment options cannot completely kill the cancerous cells in the outer (or mouth of the) cervical area--or other complications arise that necessitate it--a surgeon may elect to perform a hysterectomy in order to remove the noninvasive cervical cancer rather than attempt to treat it as an invasive cancer.
Since the hysterectomy involves the actual removal of the cervix (as well as the uterus), this type of surgery is usually reserved for cancer that has spread into the cervix (invasive cancer) or uterus and is unable to be killed by noninvasive treatment means.
Tags: noninvasive cervical, cervical cancer, noninvasive cervical cancer, cancer treatment options, cervical cancer, treatment options
