Treatment of Stage III Cervical Cancer

If you have Stage III cervical cancer, you will probably be treated with high-dose internal and external radiation therapy.

• Internal radiation therapy (brachytherapy) - This technique uses a small pellet of radioactive material placed directly in the vagina near the tumor or placed in the tumor using thin needles. The radioactive material is left in place while you stay in the hospital for 1 to 3 days. This process might be repeated. This treatment is also known as interstitial radiation therapy.
• External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) - Radiation from outside the body is focused on the cancer. Most people are treated with EBRT 5 days a week for 5 to 7 weeks as an outpatient. This schedule helps protect healthy cells and tissues by spreading out the total dose of radiation.

You will probably also be treated with chemotherapy (cisplatin with or without 5-fluorouracil or other chemotherapy drugs) to increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy.

• Platinol^® (cisplatin) - Cisplatin is a platinum compound chemotherapy drug that acts like an alkylating agent. It stops the growth of cancer cells, causing them to die. Cisplatin is given by an injection into the vein over at least 1 hour. Your dose depends upon the type of cancer you have, your size, and how well your kidneys work.
• Adrucil ^® or Efudex ^® (5-fluorouracil or 5-FU) - 5-FU belongs to the group of chemotherapy drugs known as antimetabolites. 5-FU prevents cells from making DNA and RNA, which stops cells from growing. 5-FU is given as a shot in the vein over 5 to 10 minutes, over 20 to 60 minutes, or continuously over 22 to 24 hours for 1 to 4 days or longer. The treatment can be repeated weekly, every other week, or every 3 weeks. The dose depends on your size.

This content has been reviewed and approved by Myo Thant, MD.