Other Cancers

Another devastating cancer affecting women is invasive cervical cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 11,270 cases of invasive cervical cancer are expected to be diagnosed in 2009. Incidence rates have decreased steadily over the past several decades as Pap screening has become more prevalent. An estimated 4,070 cervical cancer deaths are expected in 2009. Morality rates have declined sharply over the past several decades as well.

Early determination of how far the invasive cervical cancer has spread is key to selecting the most appropriate treatment, and PET scanning can help.

DIAGNOSIS AND EARLY DETECTION
Early cancers of the cervix can be found by a Pap test; a painless, simple procedure that women over the age of 18 should have done annually. It collects and tests cells from the cervix to look for evidence of cancer. Survival for patients with pre-invasive lesions is nearly 100%, with curative treatment possible through local procedures.

For patients in whom the cervical cancer has not been found at this pre-invasive stage, more extensive surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy may be considered. For invasive cervical cancer, PET scanning can help by determining the stage of the cancer immediately after it is found so that the most appropriate therapy can be given.

A PET scan can show where tumor cells are growing, which helps your doctor determine the best course of treatment.

The PET scan can accurately detect invasive cervical cancer and see how far it may have spread. Call the PET centers nearest you for information about whether you might be a candidate for a PET scan.

TREATMENT FOLLOW-UP and RECURRENCE
Your doctor will schedule you for routine follow-up visits, depending on the stage of the cancer. Your doctors may order follow up tests and procedures to determine if the cancer has returned. PET is the most useful test that you can have when doctors are staging or re-staging your cancer because it is more accurate than CT or any other test.

Before PET, it was extremely difficult to monitor patients to see if the cervical cancer had spread. Other imaging tests might not see the cancer as sensitively as PET, which could result in a delay of further treatment. Imaging with PET in order to look for recurrence is critical to find it at its earliest stage.

PET can also be used to image tumor response to therapy. For post surgery and other treatments, PET is extremely important for monitoring if the cancer cells have returned and help determine if treatment should be re-started.

Call the PET centers nearest you if you have cervical cancer and would like to discuss whether PET scanning might be helpful in your care.

FIND THE SUPPORT YOU NEED
Advanced cervical cancer is a devastating disorder. Several organizations provide information and support to patients and their families, including:

The Juliet Trust

National Cervical Cancer Coalition