Radical hysterectomy

The radical hysterectomy is the standard approach for the treatment of women with early cervical cancer. However, it has increasingly been recognized that a more individualized approach to treatment should be taken. In particular, careful pretreatment evaluation should reduce the number of women receiving adjuvant radiotherapy. Laparoscopic lymphadenectomy is an attractive technique that seems likely to reduce the use of dual modality therapy. The laparoscopic approach to the evaluation of lymph nodes in cervical cancer has also allowed the development of the fertility-preserving radical trachelectomy. Outcomes for women with early cervical cancer are generally good, and it therefore becomes increasingly relevant to develop methods of reducing long-term morbidity.