Join Larissa Lee, MD and Ursula Matulonis, MD from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as they present their multidisciplinary expertise on a range of cases pertaining to cervical cancer.

In the United States, an estimated 12,360 new cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed, and 4020 people are expected to die of the disease. Cervical cancer rates are decreasing among women in the United States, but incidence remains high among disparate populations. Additionally, cervical cancer is the fourth-most common cancer among women worldwide; 85% of cases occur in developing countries where the disease is a leading cause of cancer death in women. Persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most important factor in the development of cervical cancer. Prognosis for women with cervical cancer depends on the extent of disease at the time of diagnosis. Although many cases of cervical cancer can be prevented or detected early via Pap and HPV testing, a significant proportion of eligible women do not receive screening, leading to cases of difficult-to-treat advanced disease and elevated mortality rates.

The availability of new targeted therapies (i.e., bevacizumab, a VEGF-targeted antiangiogenic agent) has led to clinical trial investigation of novel combination systemic therapy regimens for treating recurrent or metastatic disease. Based on these data, the FDA recently approved bevacizumab for use in combination with cisplatin/paclitaxel or topotecan/paclitaxel regimens to treat persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer. Treatment of early-stage cervical cancer has also evolved in recent years. Clinical data over the past decade has provided added support for the safety and efficacy of conservative treatment approaches (i.e., fertility-sparing) for treating certain patients with early-stage cervical cancer. Lastly, continual advances in imaging and minimally invasive surgical techniques present clinicians with decisions regarding an expanding array of imaging techniques and surgical approaches.