Some women with early-stage cervical cancer can be safely treated with a less invasive hysterectomy that has fewer complications, a new Canadian study says.
The current standard treatment is a radical hysterectomy, removing not only the uterus and cervix, but also surrounding tissues and up to one-third of the vagina, said senior author Dr. Lois Shepherd, a professor of pathology and molecular medicine at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.
But the researchers found that women who had a "simple" hysterectomy —where surrounding tissues and most of the vagina were left intact — were at no higher risk of cancer recurring in the pelvic area after three years than those who had a radical hysterectomy.
"(The study has) established an option for women with early-stage, low-risk cervical cancer that's a lot less intrusive or invasive, with fewer side-effects," said Shepherd in an interview on Wednesday.
Women who had a radical hysterectomy were more likely to have urinary incontinence and sexual side-effects after surgery, said the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The simple hysterectomy should only be an option for cervical cancer patients who meet strict criteria, said lead author Dr. Marie Plante, a gynecologic oncologist at CHU de Quebec at Laval University.
The cancer must be at an early stage, with superficial lesions less than or equal to two centimetres. In addition, the lymph nodes must be free of cancer, Plante said.
"There's been a gradual sort of a trend whereby physicians have started to suggest less radical surgery based on retrospective data, if you will, that was accumulating suggesting that a simple hysterectomy might be fine (for those patients)," she said
But their study, which is a randomized Phase 3 clinical trial, provides much more definitive evidence that the less invasive surgery is safe, Plante said.
Dr. Brent Jim, a gynecologic oncologist in Regina who was not involved in the study, said the new research is "practice changing."
The availability of cervical cancer screening programs in Canada means a significant number of women are diagnosed in early stages and could then be eligible for the simple hysterectomy option, he said.
The study included 700 women from 12 different countries who had early-stage cervical cancer. More than a quarter of the participants were recruited in Canada.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
A new round of airstrikes hit Beirut suburbs late Sunday as Israel intensified its bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon in a widening war with Iran-allied militant groups across the region. Palestinian officials said a strike on a mosque in Gaza killed at least 19 people.
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Bruzzese came down with COVID-19 in February 2023, and received her injection at the end of March. “Being able to recognize smells is something we take for granted, until you can’t.â€
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The London Knights continue to get players back from NHL training camps but while the roster takes shape, wins have been tough to come by in the early season.
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NDP Leader David Eby promised Sunday to support police in British Columbia to keep illegal guns off the streets and protect communities, but accused B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad of planning to make the province less safe.
The calculus of predicting an election and identifying its key battlegrounds is complex enough in any race, but observers of the British Columbia poll this month are facing a pair of unknown quantities that make the math even more confounding.
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Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
NDP Leader David Eby is promising to offer a $75-million loan forgiveness program to entice doctors, nurses and heath professionals to expand health-care services in rural British Columbia.
Three young suspects have been arrested in connection with a swarming attack on a teenager in B.C.'s Okanagan last week – and authorities have asked the public to stop circulating disturbing videos of the incident.
While the summer may be over, construction season in Lethbridge is not.
Lethbridge police executed dozens of warrants and laid numerous charges in another targeted enforcement project in the downtown area.
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As part of an ongoing investigation, provincial police are seeking the public’s assistance in locating a Kubota tractor stolen in North Shore Township, Ont., last month.
A 33-year-old man was arrested Saturday for allegedly spraying bear mace at three individuals in northwestern Ontario.
A drug raid on a home on the Far North Attawapiskat First Nation last week resulted in two local residents being charged and more than $50,000 in suspected narcotics, including methamphetamine, being seized.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.
A mother in a community where the cost of living is one of the highest in the country says grocery prices are 'inhumane' and retailers are putting profits ahead of people’s basic human right to food.
A soccer game in England on Tuesday night drove a spike in online traffic across the Atlantic to a website launched by the Newfoundland and Labrador government.
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