Oncology Services

A branch of medicine that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer is known as oncology. It includes medical oncology (the use of chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and other drugs to treat cancer), radiation oncology (the use of radiation therapy to treat cancer), surgical oncology (the use of surgery and other procedures to treat cancer), and Gynecology oncology.

Gynaecology Oncology

A specialist surgical service for the prevention, diagnosis, staging, treatment & care of women with gynaecological cancer. Gynaecological cancers include:

• Cervical Cancer

• Endometrial Cancer

• Ovarian Cancer

• Vaginal Cancer

• Vulva Cancer

Gynecologic Cancers

Gynecologic cancers begin to spread within a women’s pelvis area, which is below the abdomen and in between the hip bones. Most women are affected by cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and uterus (endometrial) gynecological cancer. The other less common gynecologic cancers include cancer in the vulva, vagina, gestational trophoblastic tumors and fallopian tube.

• Cervical cancer: Cervical cancer is cancer that occurs in the cervix cells (neck of the womb), the lower part of the woman’s womb that connects with the vagina. Cervical cancer affects women primarily aged 30 - 45 years. It rarely affects women under the age of 25 years. Cervical cancer is caused by a strait of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection. When a human body is exposed to an HPV, the immune system prevents the virus from doing damage. A small percentage of women’s bodies keep the virus for a longer time and contribute to the process of creating cancer cells.

• Ovarian cancer: Ovarian cancer is a type of gynecological cancer that occurs in ovaries. Ovarian cancer can affect women of any age, but it mostly occurs in women ageing between 50-60 years. The female reproductive system has two ovaries, one on each side of the uterus. They produce the eggs, estrogen, and progesterone hormones. Many times, ovarian cancer goes undetected until it spreads within the abdomen and pelvis. Early-stage ovarian cancer can be treated successfully if it spreads only on ovarian areas.

• Endometrial cancer: Endometrial cancer occurs in the uterus, the uterus is a pear-shaped, and hollow pelvic organ where the fetal process takes place. Endometrial cancer or uterine cancer begins in the lining (endometrium) of the uterus cell. Uterine sarcoma cancer also begins in the uterus, but less common as compared to endometrial cancer. Uterine cancer affects women of any age, and it’s more common among post-menopausal women. Patients diagnosed with womb cancer are 1 in 4 are post-menopausal women.

Treatment

Depending on the kind of cancer and its spreading areas, gynecologic cancer can be treated in several ways.

• Advanced laparoscopic surgery: The laparoscopic technique is a minimally invasive and effective technique to treat cancer tissues. This treatment allows patients to stay in hospitals for less period, less discomfort and recovery period is shorter compared to other treatment methods.

• Intraoperative radiation therapy: This radiation therapy uses high radiation x-rays to treat cancer. This advanced technology is used to treat people who might have no other choice but to remove damaged tissues from the original tumor site.

• Chemotherapy: This treatment method uses a special kind of medicine to shrink or remove cancer. The drugs used in this method can be pills or medicine you take regularly, given in your veins. The direct chemotherapy technique is given into the abdomen to treat ovarian cancers.

• Hormone therapy: This method uses hormones to prevent the recurrence of various kinds of gynecologic cancers.