What are the treatment options for metastatic cervical cancer?

What are the treatment options for metastatic cervical cancer?

The aim of treatment for metastatic cervical cancer is to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.

Metastatic cervical cancer is not curable, but is treatable

Chemotherapy

Palliative chemotherapy is typically given to patients who are able to tolerate treatment. The chemotherapy drugs paclitaxel and cisplatin are often used as firstline therapy for metastatic disease, in combination with a newer targeted therapy called bevacizumab (Marth et al. 2017). Other chemotherapy drugs that might be used in this setting include carboplatin and topotecan.

Targeted therapies

Bevacizumab, a VEGF inhibitor, is approved in Europe and the USA for the first-line treatment of metastatic or recurrent cervical cancer in combination with paclitaxel and cisplatin, or paclitaxel and topotecan in patients who are not able to tolerate platinum-based chemotherapy (Avastin SPC, 2018).

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy is sometimes used to treat patients with recurrent disease or certain lymph node metastases. It may also be used to treat the symptoms arising from metastases and to manage slow-growing lung metastases (Marth et al. 2017).

Metastatic cervical cancer

FIGO Stage IVB

Doublet chemotherapy (cisplatin OR carboplatin + paclitaxel OR topotecan) + bevacizumab + radiotherapy

Flowchart showing treatment approaches for metastatic cervical cancer.