It is a surgical procedure that is used to treat various gynecological cancers, including cervical, uterine and ovarian cancer. In this, the womb and surrounding tissues are removed, including the fallopian tubes, part of the vagina, ovaries, lymph glands and fatty tissue. This surgery impacts the fertility of the woman.

A radical hysterectomy is the standard treatment for women with early-stage cervical cancer, which includes stage I cervical cancer, and more specifically, stage IA2 and IB1. Often these patients are younger, between ages 20 and 40. Surgery is not the standard of care for advanced-stage cervical cancer patients.

The patients opting for radical hysterectomy should choose a facility with an advanced surgical recovery program. Patient will be required to get her medical records, a list of any drugs or supplements that are ongoing, any imaging results, such as X-rays, and allergy information, stop smoking, eat a healthy diet, and exercise regularly. Patient will usually be asked to stop eating at least 6 hours before the procedure. She can drink water up to 2 hours beforehand. Dr. Monika or nurse will give instructions about this beforehand. She will guide the patient regarding the surgery and address all the patient’s concerns regarding outcomes.

The surgery is performed under general anesthesia. During this operation, Dr. Monika will remove the uterus, cervix and part of the vagina, along with the parametrium (the connective tissue that surrounds the cervix). If needed, the ovaries, fallopian tubes and nearby lymph nodes can also be removed. There are 3 ways a hysterectomy can be performed:

Ovaries are organs that produce female hormones and eggs and they are located in pelvis, one on each side of the uterus. Ovarian cancer usually originates in the ovaries or in the nearby areas of fallopian tubes and peritoneum. Most ovarian cancers start in the epithelial cells. If left untreated, the cancer can spread to other parts of body and called metastatic ovarian cancer.