GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS
Uterus
Cancer of the uterus is usually treated with surgery (a hysterectomy). The need for radiotherapy depends on multiple factors such as the health of the patient, the growth pattern of the cancer, the extent of the cancer in the uterus, and the presence of cancer in pelvic lymph nodes. When radiation therapy is necessary after a hysterectomy, most patients are treated with a combination of 5 weeks of external beam radiotherapy (5 treatments each week) and three internal radiotherapy implantation treatments to the vagina. Internal implantation treatments are done once a week for 3 consecutive weeks. Internal implantation radiotherapy in this setting is given on the same day as an external beam radiotherapy treatment so the entire course course of radiotherapy treatment takes 5 weeks. Internal implantation procedures are done in the radiation oncology clinic. Each internal implantation session takes about 45 minutes. The patient does not need to stay in the hospital after the internal implantation treatment. Anesthesia is not used during the procedure because there is usually little discomfort.
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