Hysterectomy For Uterine Cancer: What To Know

Uterine cancer hysterectomy is a procedure that involves surgically removing the cancer affected parts from the body. This surgery is aggressive but thanks to advancements in medical technology, the risks associated with the surgery have reduced significantly today. Minimally invasive hysterectomy for uterine cancer treatment is one of the best uterine cancer surgery options and it can help stop the spread of the cancer in the body. Even though it is effective, doctors don’t recommend going for hysterectomies as the first uterine cancer treatment approach. Let’s understand why that is and how hysterectomy helps thousands of patients beat cancer every year.

What Is Uterine Cancer?

Uterine cancer also endometrial cancer is a type of cancer where the cancer cells first start appearing on the endometrium of the uterus. It is most common among women who have gone through menopause and are nearing advanced ages. One of the most important symptoms of uterine cancer is that it causes light bleeding even after menopause. 

For younger women it causes bleeding between periods. Risk factors for uterine cancer include obesity and starting periods from a very early age. Uterine cancer requires surgical treatment in most cases. Even if it is diagnosed at an early stage, doctors will recommend a hysterectomy to stop the cancer from spreading further. 

Similarly, in later stages, doctors may recommend chemo and other radiation therapy before opting for uterine cancer. Do note that uterine cancer is relatively rare and doesn’t affect women below the age of 45 in most cases. So, if you are above 45 and have the risk factors mentioned above, you should consider discussing that with your doctors.

How Does Hysterectomy Help With Uterine Cancer?

Surgical removal for uterine cancer is one of the most common treatment options for this condition. Hysterectomy is the procedure of choice for doctors to perform this function. As a minimally invasive procedure, hysterectomy has certain benefits over other procedures, which helps it be safer and more effective in helping patients. Compared to an open surgery, hysterectomy has lesser risks involved and the postsurgical recovery is quicker for patients.

When using minimally invasive hysterectomy, doctors make several small incisions in the body no bigger than a few centimeters. These incisions are used to insert the surgical tools inside the body. Doctors even use robotically assisted tools to ensure that the surgery can be as precise as required, limiting the risk of damaging other body parts during the surgery. Once the uterus is removed, doctors take out the surgical tools and stitch the incisions to complete the surgery.

This procedure takes less time compared to an open surgery. Given uterine cancer is common among women of advanced ages, it helps reduce a lot of the risks. These risks would otherwise make the patient an unsuitable candidate for surgery. After a hysterectomy doctors keep monitoring the patient to ensure that they are indeed cancer-free. Doctors use medications and therapy to stop the cancer from reemerging.

Hysterectomy Recovery For Uterine Cancer?

Uterine cancer can be effectively treated with a hysterectomy surgery, however, the recovery process differs greatly. The surgical recovery is relatively easy and if you follow the recovery instructions your doctor advises, you should be able to return to your normal life in a few weeks. However, hysterectomy recovery doesn’t only involve physically recovering from the surgery. Given hysterectomy removes the uterus from the body, it has certain side effects, which include mood swings, hot flashes, and other symptoms that affect the quality of life. If you are undergoing a hysterectomy for uterine cancer, it is crucial that you discuss these side effects and what to expect after a hysterectomy with your doctor.

Conclusion

Uterine cancer is rare, but in case you have symptoms or risk factors for this condition, you should get medical help. Cancer is best treatable when it is diagnosed as early as possible. If you or your loved ones are looking for the best cancer treatment, diagnosis, and care, check out MASSH. We specialise in minimally invasive procedures and can help you surgically treat the cancer. To learn more about Hysterectomy treatment at MASSH, check out our website or visit us today.