After my diagnosis, a referral to a gynecologic oncologist was scheduled immediately but the earliest opening was a week and a half away.
So we waited...
At this first visit we were asked how committed we were to preserving my fertility. In young women, this has been the main criteria for considering less radical surgery in early stage cervical cancer. Portland has several doctors who do the relatively rare procedures of simple trachelectomy and radical trachelectomy. At NW Cancer specialists all of the doctors are fully trained to do the procedure using the Da Vinci Robot which reduces blood loss during the surgery and decreases recovery time (see their link: http://www.nwcancer.com/GYN.php).
I was told I was an ideal candidate for a trachelectomy but would need a PET/CT scan to make certain there was no evidence of metastasis.
Aside from the imaging, my oncologist suggested I have a consult with a perinatal specialist as well as a phone consultation with our fertility specialist to assure we were fully aware of the risks associated with pregnancy after having had a trachelectomy.
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