Gynecologic Cancer

This chapter focuses on the three types of gynecologic cancer—epithelial cancer of the ovary, cancer of the uterine cervix, and cancer of the endometrium (uterine cancer)—and reviews their epidemiology, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, surgical features, and staging, as well as their risk factors and clinical features. Also discussed are methods of treatment and the management of relapse. Epithelial ovarian cancer occurs at a mean age of 60 years in the United States and is the most lethal of gynecologic tract tumors. However, a recent trial has demonstrated a survival advantage through the use of intraperitoneal chemotherapy for appropriate patients with optimally debulked ovarian cancer. Invasive cervical cancer is uncommon in developed countries, partly because of the effectiveness of Pap smear screening. Nevertheless, cancer of the uterine cervix is the third most common gynecologic cancer diagnosis and cause of death among gynecologic cancers in the United States. However, for women with early-stage cervical cancer, data from several randomized trials indicate an improvement in response rate and survival through the use of combination platinum-based regimens for platinum-sen