Every woman is at risk for developing a gynecologic cancer. Each year, over 78,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with a form of of gynecologic malignancy.
?Gynecologic cancers include cervical, vaginal, ovarian, uterine and endometrial cancers, among others,? says Robert Holloway, M.D., medical director of the Gynecologic Oncology Program at Florida Hospital Cancer Institute. ?When patients present, their symptoms can be similar to benign conditions, and many times they are misdiagnosed for a period of time.?
Symptoms Dr. Holloway refers to include discharge, abnormal bleeding, bleeding or pain during or after intercourse, pelvic pain, dramatic weight inconsistencies, urinary urgency or frequency and bloating.
Dr. Holloway is just one of the highly skilled gynecologic oncologists at Florida Hospital in Orlando. Glenn E. Bigsby, D.O., James Kendrick, M.D. and Giselle Ghurani, M.D. are also leaders at treating cancer and other complex gynecologic conditions. In fact, Florida Hospital?s Gynecology Program is nationally ranked by the prestigious U.S. News & World Report.
HOW DO YOU TREAT GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS?
Aging, HPV viruses, obesity, extended use of estrogen, heredity, environmental hazards and smoking are all risks that can lead to gynecologic cancers. If a woman is diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer, treatment may include minimally invasive surgery, robotic hysterectomy, traditional open hysterectomy, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy or a combination of treatments.
?The choice of therapy depends on the specific cancer type and stage, and all options will be explained by your physician,? says Dr. Holloway.
ROBOTIC SURGERY?
Robotic hysterectomy, applying the da Vinci? surgical system, is setting new standards for the surgical treatment of gynecologic cancers and advanced benign conditions. The hospital?s gynecologic oncology team is highly skilled at this revolutionary and highly precise approach to surgery of a woman?s reproductive organs.
?The robotic hysterectomy procedure combines the benefits of minimally invasive surgery with a surgeon?s skill to perform a hysterectomy and other complex cancer staging procedures through very small incisions,? explains Dr. Holloway. ?Not only can patients expect less scarring, less blood loss and less pain, but they will also be able to return to their normal activity much more quickly than with an open procedure.?
SENTINEL LYMPH NODE MAPPING?
Recently, Dr. Holloway has been instrumental in conducting research on sentinel lymph node mapping, a technique that identifies the first draining lymph node in proximity to a cancer. His research encompasses lymph node mapping with a fluorescent dye and new imaging camera used on a series of patients who underwent robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery.
Dr. Holloway explains that da Vinci has an alternative imaging system (FireFly) that uses light in the ?near-infrared? range. Upon injecting a very small amount of ICG dye into a patient?s uterine cervix, it enters the lymphatic channels and quickly moves to the lymph nodes. From there, the light causes the dye to fluorescence?in a bright green color, which helps the doctor more consistently identify the first lymph nodes draining the cancer.
?For ?high-risk? patients with tumors at risk for lymph node metastasis, it (sentinel lymph node mapping) identifies more positive lymph nodes, which reduces the chances for missing cancer and missing the opportunity to offer other curative therapies,? explains Dr. Holloway. ?For patients with ?low-risk? cancers, if this research confirms the accuracy of pelvic sentinel lymph node mapping in the study, we might be able to eliminate complete lymphadenectomy and substitute sentinel mapping with biopsies.?
Source: http://www.spacecoastlivinghealth.com/advanced-treatment-for-gynecologic-cancers/
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