Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy plays a major role in the treatment of patients with gynecologic malignancies. For women with cervical cancer, radiation therapy is the primary treatment for patients with advanced disease…
Germ Cell and Nonepithelial Ovarian Cancer
Compared with epithelial ovarian cancers, nonepithelial ovarian tumors are uncommon. They include malignancies of germ cell origin, sex-cord–stromal cell origin, metastatic carcinomas to the ovary, and a variety of extremely…
Pelvic Exenteration
Pelvic exenteration is a major surgical procedure that involves the en bloc removal of some or all of the pelvic organs. The main indication for the operation is to control…
Biology and Genetics
Cancer is a complex disease that arises because of genetic and epigenetic alterations that disrupt cellular proliferation, senescence, and death (Fig. 1.1). The alterations that underlie the development of cancers…
Symptom Relief and Palliative Care
Throughout the course of a woman’s illness, anticancer treatment should be coupled with attention to symptom relief, and personal and family support (1). The development of progressive cancer heralds a…
Vaginal Cancer
Primary carcinomas of the vagina represent 1–2% of malignant neoplasms of the female genital tract. In the United States, it is estimated that there will be 3,170 new cases diagnosed…
Chemotherapy
General Principles Tumor Growth and Chemotherapy There are a wide variety of chemotherapeutic agents and a growing number of targeted agents available to treat women with gynecologic cancers. The selection…
Epidemiology and Biostatistics
The disciplines of epidemiology and biostatistics apply to gynecologic oncology in defining cancer occurrence and survival, identifying risk factors, and implementing strategies for treatment or prevention, including the proper design…
Ovarian Cancer–Tumor Markers and Screening
Worldwide, 6,044,000 women are diagnosed with cancer and 3,345,000 die from the disease each year (1). From 1975–2010, the age-standardized incidence rates for cancers in women have increased by 42%…
Psychological Issues
For most women, a diagnosis of gynecologic cancer is a crisis, and it is essential to consider a patient’s psychological and behavioral responses when managing her disease. While most patients…
