Gynecological cancer refers to all the cancers that develop in a woman’s reproductive tract, including:

• Cervical cancer
• Uterine cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Vaginal cancer
• Vulvar cancer
• Fallopian tube cancer

All cancers develop when DNA mutations make cells grow uncontrollably and form a cancerous tumor.

The most common type of uterine cancer, endometrial cancer, causes abnormal uterine bleeding in more than 90% of women.

In addition to abnormal bleeding, gynecological cancers cause the following symptoms:

• Pelvic pain or pressure
• Abdominal swelling
• Frequent need to urinate
• Trouble eating or feeling full quickly
• Lump in the pelvic region
• Back pain
• Leg swelling
• Gas and bloating
• Constipation
• Skin sores (vulvar cancer)

Abnormal bleeding includes bleeding after menopause, bleeding between periods, and unusually heavy or prolonged periods.

Surgery is the first line of treatment for gynecological cancers. Cervical and uterine cancers are often cured with surgery because they’re diagnosed at an early stage. Cervical cancer is detected during routine Pap testing, while most uterine cancers are quickly identified because of abnormal bleeding.

If the cancer has spread or surgery does not remove all of it, your oncologist recommends radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy. Your Hematology and Oncology Associates of Northern California provider has years of experience treating gynecological cancers with a wide range of chemotherapy drugs.

Combining other advanced therapies with chemotherapy helps lower your risk of cancer recurrence by eliminating any cancer cells hidden in your body. The medical oncologists at Hematology and Oncology Associates of Northern California provide:

Targeted drug therapy

Targeted drug therapy uses drugs to attack specific parts of cancer cells. For example, these medications may destroy proteins needed for growth, prevent cancer cells from establishing a blood supply, or stop cancer from repairing its DNA.

Hormone therapy

Some gynecological cancers need hormones to grow and survive. Hormone therapy relies on medications that prevent cancer cells from getting hormones, resulting in cancer cell death.

Immunotherapy (biological therapy)

Immunotherapy involves specialized drugs that improve the immune system’s ability to fight cancer. One type of immunotherapy destroys proteins that hide cancer cells from immune cells.

When receiving gynecological cancer treatments requiring an infusion, women get personalized care as they relax in the soothing on-site infusion room.

To learn more about treatments for gynecological cancers, call Hematology and Oncology Associates of Northern California or request an appointment online today.

Unlike most cancers, surgery is not the first line of treatment for blood cancers. In most cases, your first treatment is radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy therapy.

Hematology and Oncology Associates of Northern California cancer specialists have an essential role in treating blood cancer because they provide most of the primary treatments (except radiation therapy), including:

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses numerous drugs to kill rapidly dividing cancer cells throughout your body. You may receive one or more drugs on a consistent schedule.

Immunotherapy (biological therapy)

Immunotherapy improves your immune system’s ability to fight blood cancer. For example, some immunotherapy medications eliminate the proteins hiding cancer cells from your immune system.

Targeted therapy

Targeted therapy relies on specialized drugs that stop tumor growth by attacking specific parts of cancer cells. Your provider may recommend one of several medications that work in different ways.

Stem cell transplantation

After destroying the hematopoietic stem cells in your bone marrow, your provider transplants cells from a donor into the bone marrow, where they restart the process of producing healthy blood cells.

Call Hematology and Oncology Associates of Northern California to learn about blood cancer treatments, or request an appointment online today.