ABSTRACT
The standard treatment for early cervical cancer of the uterus (CC) is radical hysterectomy with resection of the parametrium and pelvic lymphadenectomy. At least 40% of patients develop early-stage CC during child-bearing age, therefore preserving the uterus to maintain fertility has been an important consideration. Several surgical procedures including conization and vaginal or abdominal radical trachelectomy have been reported. These procedures are safe for removing lymph node negative CC tumors with <2 cm diameter. Recently, less radical surgical procedures that maintain fertility, such as conization, simple trachelectomy, minimally invasive surgery and neoadjuvant chemotherapy, have been indicated for tumors greater than 2 cm in diameter. In this review, we discuss the currently accepted surgical approaches for treating CC while maintaining fertility.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.