Treatment: Laser Surgery
Treatment of Cervical Cancer by Laser Surgery
If you are one of the millions of women recently diagnosed with cervical cancer, you should be aware of the various treatment options available. Laser therapy is a very effective treatment option. The word «laser» stands for «light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation» which is the technical term for a narrow, intense beam of infrared light. Surprisingly lasers are sharp enough to cut hard materials such as diamonds. This quality makes them well suited to medical treatments such as laser therapy.Laser surgery can only be used to treat preinvasive cervical cancer. "Preinvasive" means no malignant cells have crossed the histological border of the cervical mucous membrane and therefor the tumor has not spread to the organ or other anatomical structures. Laser therapy is also used to destroy genital warts caused by HPV.
Laser radiation produces very high temperatures within the tissue targeted.
For
laser treatment of a preinvasive cervical carcinoma a laser beam is
directed to the cervix throgh the vagina. Malignant tissue is vaporized
(burned off).
Laser therapy may also be referred to as laser ablation. The procedure involves the use of a laser light that acts like a knife to completely destroy cancer cells. One of the main advantages to this type of treatment is the amazing level of precision offered. The laser is able to accurately pinpoint and kill cancerous cells without destroying any of the surrounding healthy tissue. The intense heat of the laser produces cuts in the tissue or completely removes cancerous sections with very little bleeding involved.
Disadvantages of Laser Treatment
Laser therapy also has several limitations. Surgeons must have specialized training before they can do laser therapy. Strict safety precautions must be followed. Laser is comparatively very costly because it requires expensive equipment and high maintenance. Treatments often will have to be repeated to get the full benefit for a patient.Advantages of Laser Surgery
One of the main advantages to laser therapy is the amount of precision that allows only the cancerous tissue to be destroyed. As a result side effects which will be observed in any surgical procedure, like bleeding, swelling, pain can be reduced. The initial treatment may produce successful results. However, some women may have to undergo an additional session to ensure all the cancerous tissue has been destroyed. The operations usually take shorter time, and can frequently be performed on an outpatient basis..Resources/Links:
- www.cancer.org - Cervical cancer surgery
- Carbon dioxide laser surgery for abnormal cervical cell changes (at health.yahoo.com)
- Carbon dioxide laser surgery for abnormal cervical cell changes (at WebMD.com)
This page was last updated:
June 12, 2006
It is not the intention of Cervicalcancer.org to provide specific medical advice, but rather to provide users with information to better understand their health and their diagnosed disorders. Specific medical advice will not be provided, and Cervicalcancer.org urges you to consult with a qualified physician for diagnosis and for answers to your personal questions.
