Questions? We're here to help.

Our appointment specialists are ready to help you find what you need. Contact us today.

Call 1-844-324-HOPE (4673) Request an Appointment

Treatments


The Dysplasia Clinic at Sylvester offers diagnosis and treatment for pre-invasive diseases of the lower genital tract, as well as screening and treatment of anal dysplasia in men and women.

Clinical services are available to any woman diagnosed with cervical, vaginal or vulvar dysplasia. Any woman with an abnormal cervical Pap smear may also be eligible for evaluation. Clinical services are also available for the screening and treatment of anal dysplasia in men and women.

Services include:

  • Timely, efficient care for all women with abnormal cervical Pap tests and men and women at risk for or with anal dysplasia
  • Evaluation, treatment and management of cervical, vaginal, vulvar, and anal dysplasia
  • HPV and dysplasia counseling

  • Conization

    This process involves removing a cone-shaped piece of tissue from the cervix and cervical canal. It may be used to treat carcinoma in situ and stage 1 cervical cancer. The tissue can be removed with a scalpel, a laser, or with a loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP). The LEEP approach uses a thin, wire loop with an electrical current to remove abnormal tissue or cancer.

  • Robotic Surgery

    Sylvester gynecologic oncologists are experts in the use of robotic surgery for cervical cancers and have performed thousands of procedures. The advanced technology gives your surgeon greater control and precision, which can offer less pain and a faster recovery. Your surgical team monitors you throughout the procedure and is ready to assist as needed. Today, nearly 80 to 90 percent of the hysterectomy surgeries are performed robotically. In some instances, ovary function can be preserved.

    • Total hysterectomy: The surgeon removes the patient's uterus and cervix. This may be accomplished through the vagina, an abdominal incision, or laparoscopically through several small incisions. Often the function of the ovaries can be preserved, so talk to your doctor.
    • Radical hysterectomy: In this procedure, the surgeon removes the uterus, cervix, upper vagina, and parametrium, along with regional lymph nodes. Talk to your doctor, because the ovaries may not have to be removed.
    • Radical trachelectomy: This highly specialized procedure can be used to treat women with early-stage cervical cancer, who still want to bear children. After the cervix is removed, the patient's uterus is attached to the remaining part of her vagina, and a stitch is created to act as the cervix and the opening to the uterus.

  • Sentinel Node Biopsy

    The sentinel lymph node is the initial spot the cancer is likely to spread to from the tumor. A dye injected near the tumor flows through the lymph ducts to the lymph nodes. The first lymph node to receive the dye is removed. A pathologist looks at the tissue under a microscope to check for cancer cells. If cancer cells are not found, it may not be necessary to remove more lymph nodes. Advances in technology have caused sentinel node detection to be 95 percent or greater.

    Sylvester’s radiation oncologists use the most advanced technology to deliver radiation externally or internally to cervical tumors.

  • Your radiation oncologist will discuss which treatment is appropriate for your cancer.

  • Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

    With this therapy, we use special equipment to position you to deliver radiation directly to tumors. The total amount of radiation is given over several days in smaller doses. This limits damage to normal tissue. Experts are studying this type of radiation therapy in clinical trials for recurrent cervical cancer.

  • Brachytherapy

    In this type of localized radiation, a high-dose concentration of radiation immediately surrounding the radioactive source, with a rapid fall-off of radiation exposed to adjacent tissues. In cervical cancer, the radiation source is applied with an intrauterine applicator or a vaginal ring. For locally advanced cervical cancer, chemoradiation, chemotherapy combined with both external and brachytherapy radiation have been found effective.

  • Chemotherapy

    Chemotherapy is a combination of cancer-fighting medicines that can be administered intravenously (in a vein) or with a pill to kill any remaining cancer cells. Most chemotherapy for cervical cancer is provided along with radiation therapy.

  • Targeted Therapy

    Targeted therapies designed to attack the molecular alterations that make the cancer cell grow and spread. These treatments have the potential to be more effective and with fewer side effects than chemotherapy. Several targeted therapies have been approved by FDA.