Fertility Preservation in Cervical Cancer—Treatment Strategies and Indications
Cervical cancer is frequently diagnosed in women during their reproductive years, and fertility preservation is an essential part of their cancer treatment. In highly selected patients with early stage, low-risk cervical cancer and a tumor size ≤ 2 cm, several treatment strategies can be offered for...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Current Oncology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/31/1/19 |
| _version_ | 1797344369469030400 |
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| author | Lina Salman Allan Covens |
| author_facet | Lina Salman Allan Covens |
| author_sort | Lina Salman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cervical cancer is frequently diagnosed in women during their reproductive years, and fertility preservation is an essential part of their cancer treatment. In highly selected patients with early stage, low-risk cervical cancer and a tumor size ≤ 2 cm, several treatment strategies can be offered for patients wishing to preserve fertility, including radical/simple trachelectomy or conization with pelvic lymph node assessment. Trachelectomy can be performed through a vaginal, abdominal, or minimally invasive approach and has been shown to have an equivalent oncologic outcome compared to radical hysterectomy. All surgical approaches for radical trachelectomy seem to have excellent survival with comparable oncologic outcomes. Nevertheless, patients undergoing vaginal trachelectomy have better obstetric outcomes compared to the other routes. In patients with larger tumors (2–4 cm), neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by fertility-sparing surgery is an alternative option. Several chemotherapy regimens have been used for this indication, with a pathologic complete response rate of 17–73%. For locally advanced diseases that require radical hysterectomy or primary chemoradiation, fertility preservation can be performed using oocyte, embryo, or ovarian tissue cryopreservation, as well as ovarian transposition. For these patients, future pregnancy is possible through surrogacy. In addition to fertility preservation, ovarian transposition, where the ovaries are repositioned outside of the radiation field, is performed to maintain ovarian hormonal function and prevent premature ovarian failure. In summary, fertility-preservation treatment strategies for patients with early stage cervical cancer are continuously evolving, and less radical surgeries are becoming more acceptable. Additional and ongoing evidence is helping determine the impact of conservative procedures on oncologic and obstetric outcomes in these patients. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:01:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b2e0fef6089640c8be60ecc5ec851387 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1198-0052 1718-7729 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:01:23Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Current Oncology |
| spelling | doaj.art-b2e0fef6089640c8be60ecc5ec8513872024-01-26T15:57:48ZengMDPI AGCurrent Oncology1198-00521718-77292024-01-0131129630610.3390/curroncol31010019Fertility Preservation in Cervical Cancer—Treatment Strategies and IndicationsLina Salman0Allan Covens1Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, CanadaDivision of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, CanadaCervical cancer is frequently diagnosed in women during their reproductive years, and fertility preservation is an essential part of their cancer treatment. In highly selected patients with early stage, low-risk cervical cancer and a tumor size ≤ 2 cm, several treatment strategies can be offered for patients wishing to preserve fertility, including radical/simple trachelectomy or conization with pelvic lymph node assessment. Trachelectomy can be performed through a vaginal, abdominal, or minimally invasive approach and has been shown to have an equivalent oncologic outcome compared to radical hysterectomy. All surgical approaches for radical trachelectomy seem to have excellent survival with comparable oncologic outcomes. Nevertheless, patients undergoing vaginal trachelectomy have better obstetric outcomes compared to the other routes. In patients with larger tumors (2–4 cm), neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by fertility-sparing surgery is an alternative option. Several chemotherapy regimens have been used for this indication, with a pathologic complete response rate of 17–73%. For locally advanced diseases that require radical hysterectomy or primary chemoradiation, fertility preservation can be performed using oocyte, embryo, or ovarian tissue cryopreservation, as well as ovarian transposition. For these patients, future pregnancy is possible through surrogacy. In addition to fertility preservation, ovarian transposition, where the ovaries are repositioned outside of the radiation field, is performed to maintain ovarian hormonal function and prevent premature ovarian failure. In summary, fertility-preservation treatment strategies for patients with early stage cervical cancer are continuously evolving, and less radical surgeries are becoming more acceptable. Additional and ongoing evidence is helping determine the impact of conservative procedures on oncologic and obstetric outcomes in these patients.https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/31/1/19cervical cancerfertility preservationtrachelectomyovarian transposition |
| spellingShingle | Lina Salman Allan Covens Fertility Preservation in Cervical Cancer—Treatment Strategies and Indications Current Oncology cervical cancer fertility preservation trachelectomy ovarian transposition |
| title | Fertility Preservation in Cervical Cancer—Treatment Strategies and Indications |
| title_full | Fertility Preservation in Cervical Cancer—Treatment Strategies and Indications |
| title_fullStr | Fertility Preservation in Cervical Cancer—Treatment Strategies and Indications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fertility Preservation in Cervical Cancer—Treatment Strategies and Indications |
| title_short | Fertility Preservation in Cervical Cancer—Treatment Strategies and Indications |
| title_sort | fertility preservation in cervical cancer treatment strategies and indications |
| topic | cervical cancer fertility preservation trachelectomy ovarian transposition |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/31/1/19 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT linasalman fertilitypreservationincervicalcancertreatmentstrategiesandindications AT allancovens fertilitypreservationincervicalcancertreatmentstrategiesandindications |