Cancer of the cervix

Since the introduction of the Papanicolaou smear and colposcopy, cervical cancers can be diagnosed and treated easily in their preinvasive state. Although theoretically cancer of the cervix should be detected and treated before becoming invasive disease, there are still too many women who develop invasive cancer of the cervix and require radical surgery and/or radiation therapy. The management of patients with recurrent or advanced disease is difficult and challenging.