Stage 4 uterine cancer

Stage 4 uterine cancer means that the tumor has spread to the bladder, rectum, or other parts of the intestine. Later, cancer cells are found on distant organs, including the liver, bones, lungs, and lymph nodes. The prognosis for stage 4 uterine cancer still leaves hope — 15-16% of patients continue to live for 5 years.

Stage 4 is divided into two stages:

• Stage 4A — metastases began to develop in nearby organs;
• stage 4B — metastases are found in different organs of the body.

The symptoms of stage 4 uterine cancer depend on the area of metastasis, and also include the main signs of this type of cancer.:

• bloody and purulent vaginal discharge;
• pain in the pelvis and lower back;
• difficult bowel and bladder emptying;
• edema;
• rapid weight loss.

Examination before treatment of stage 4 cervical cancer

When the tumor spreads, the patient is prescribed a series of tests to examine all the organs of the body. For this, imaging procedures (PHG, ultrasound, CT, MRI, PET-CT, cystoscopy, proctoscopy) and blood tests are used to determine the functionality of the liver and kidneys. To select individual drug therapy (chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy), a molecular analysis of cancer tissue is performed.

Treatment of stage 4 cervical cancer

In case of stage 4 cervical cancer with metastases in the nearest organs, radiation therapy in combination with chemotherapy is prescribed. The irradiation is carried out in two stages. At first, the patient undergoes daily external radiation therapy sessions for 4-6 weeks. Modern cancer centers use high-precision technologies for this purpose: three-dimensional conformal, intensively modulated and proton therapy. During the course of radiation, the patient also takes chemotherapeutic drugs that increase the vulnerability of cancer tissue to radiation. At the end of the course of external radiation therapy, high-dose or low-dose brachytherapy is prescribed. As part of this method, microspheres with a radioactive substance are inserted into the uterus through catheters. Depending on the high or low dose of radiation, the beads are injected for several minutes or days.

Stage 4 cervical cancer chemotherapy has shown good results when using a combination of drugs such as Paclitaxel, Ifosfamide, Taxotere, Navelbin and Camptosar.

Surgery for the treatment of stage 4 cervical cancer

With cervical sarcoma at stage 4, pelvic extinction is sometimes performed. Together with the cervix, uterus, and adjacent lymph nodes, the bladder, vagina, rectum, and part of the colon are removed.

If the bladder is removed, part of the intestine can be used to create a new vessel to collect urine. The urine can then be drained through a catheter into a urostomy, which is a small opening in the abdominal cavity with a plastic bag attached. When removing the rectum and part of the colon, the surgeon performs a colostomy, which is an opening in the abdomen. Instead of a vagina, a surgeon can create an organ analogue from skin or other tissue. Patients can only choose therapeutic treatment to control their symptoms.