Gynecologic oncology

We treat all gynecological cancers the most frequent of which are:

• tumor of the endometrium or uterine body: it originates from the glands of the mucosa lining the body cavity of the uterus. This tumor is, now, the most common tumor of the genital tract and is common especially during menopause;
• ovarian cancer: is due to uncontrolled proliferation of cells in the organ, most often epithelial cells (i.e., not the cells that produce eggs);
• cervical cancer: is usually squamous cell carcinoma caused by human papillomavirus infection.

Diagnosis

During the first visit, the gyneco-oncologist will proceed with:

• anamnesis;
• clinical examination: observation phase and palpation phase;
• ultrasound examination: simple procedure to visualize the internal genital organs (uterus and ovaries) with great precision.

Follow-up examinations for diagnosis:

• computed axial tomography or CT scan;
• magnetic resonance imaging, MRI or MRA;
• positron emission tomography or PET scan.

Treatments

To treat gynecologic cancers, there are many possible treatments and, often, it is the combination of them that leads to the resolution of the problem.In each patient, the choice of treatment and its duration is based on the personal disease situation, age, and any concomitant diseases to package a treatment program that is as targeted as possible.

Possible treatments include:

• surgery with conventional or minimally invasive access by laparoscopy or robotic technique using the DaVinci system;
• radiation therapy that is administered by radiation oncologists;
• systemic treatments that include conventional chemotherapy, immunotherapy and other forms of drug treatments.

IOTA group certification

The gynecologic oncology EOC is certified to accurately diagnose ovarian cancer according to international criteria established by theInternational Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA). The IOTA group was founded in 1999 with the goal of developing a standardized terminology. In 2000, it published a consensus statement on terms, definitions and measures to describe the ultrasound characteristics of adnexal masses, which is widely used today.

IOTA now covers a multitude of studies examining many aspects of gynecologic ultrasound within a network of contributing centers worldwide that are coordinated by KU Leuven, a research and educational institution.

Search