Cervical Cancer Program

Our approach to cervical cancer care

As leading cancer researchers, our care and recommendations are based on the latest research. Our specialists meet weekly to collaborate on each patient’s care plan and progress.

Your care team may include:

• Medical, radiation, and surgical oncologists
• Oncology psychiatrists and social workers
• Palliative care providers
• Pathologists and diagnostic radiologists

Our radiologists use the latest imaging technology to accurately diagnose and stage cervical cancer, including MRIs, ultrasounds, and a combination of PET/CT scans. We also use imaging, such as CT scans and MRIs, to guide biopsies and plan therapy.

Our pathologists are highly specialized in studying and detecting gynecologic cancers. This means you get the most accurate diagnosis and staging, which is critical for planning the most effective treatment.

Our team uses different types of medicines to kill cancer cells and help you manage any treatment side effects.

Medical therapies can include:

• Chemotherapy, which can also make cancer cells more sensitive to radiation treatments
• Immunotherapy, which assists your immune system to attack cancer cells
• Access to clinical trials, which are conducted collaboratively with hospitals in the Harvard system and nationally

Our surgeons offer highly specialized surgeries, using minimally invasive and traditional approaches, including:

• Fertility-sparing surgery
• Laparoscopic surgery
• Robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery

Our radiation oncologists provide all types of treatments, including some only available at a few other hospitals in the country.

Some therapies we use include:

• Brachytherapy, which delivers radiation to tumors from within the tumor itself
• Interoperative radiation, to deliver radiation directly into the tumor area during surgery
• Intensity-modulated radiation therapy, which adjusts the strength of radiation beams based on the tumor’s size and shape
• Proton therapy, in which radiation beams stop precisely at their target, limiting impact to surrounding areas

Proton beam therapy is a type of radiation therapy that uses proton beams instead of traditional X-rays to target and kill cancer cells.

Physician-scientists at Mass General Brigham helped develop proton therapy and introduce it into clinical care. We’re the only proton therapy center in New England and recognized experts in this field.