Cervical cancer treatment and nursing considerations: Best practices for effective care

Over the past several decades, there has been excellent progress in cervical cancer prevention and early detection. However, there are still many Canadian woman who will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and will require active treatment. Advancements in personalizing treatment options based on specific staging and fertility-sparing preferences have helped decrease morbidities for some while ensuring well-needed aggressive treatment for others. Surgical procedures, for example, offer a variety of options with curative intent, particularly for those with earlier stage disease. Once the cancer has spread beyond the cervix to locally advanced stages 2 and 3, the combination of chemotherapy and radiation tends to be the mainstay treatment option. Finally, as cancer becomes more advanced into later stages 3 and 4 disease, utilizing traditional chemotherapy with the addition of novel drugs, such as monoclonal antibodies and immune check point inhibitors, offers hope where it was once lacking. This article focuses on these varying treatment options and identifies how nurses are in the prime position to help patients improve overall understanding, tolerance, and continuity of their treatment plan.