Women's Cancer We Treat

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be distressing. At the Women's Cancer Program, you can take comfort in knowing that you will receive comprehensive care from a compassionate team of doctors whose life work is to help women overcome cancer.

Types of cancer we treat include:

  • Ovarian cancer, which is cancer within the ovaries, the female reproductive organs that produce eggs
  • Uterine (endometrial) cancer, which is cancer that develops in the lining of the uterus (endometrium)
  • Cervical cancer, cancer that occurs in the cervix, which connects the uterus and vagina
  • Rare gynecologic cancers, including fallopian tube cancer (cancer of the tubes connecting a woman’s ovaries and uterus), uterine sarcoma (cancer of the muscles surrounding the uterus) and others

Women's Cancer Treatments

The experts at Cedars-Sinai Women's Cancer Program work together to review your case and determine a personalized treatment plan. We take a bench-to-bedside approach to treating cancer. We may use one treatment approach or a combination to help you get the optimal outcome.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that destroys or stops the growth of cancer cells. You may receive chemotherapy before surgery to shrink tumors. Or you may receive it after surgery to prevent the cancer from returning. Either way, we use the most innovative chemotherapy available and work with you to manage any side effects.

This aggressive medication slows the growth of cancer cells. Our team will determine the correct chemotherapy dosage for you and help manage any possible side effects.

Hormone Therapy

Your doctor may prescribe medications that prevent or interfere with the growth of certain hormones that help cancer cells grow. We may use this approach alone or combined with other treatments.

Immunotherapy

This medication prompts the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. Your doctor will let you know if immunotherapy is an option for you.

Surgery

When possible, our surgeons use minimally invasive robotic surgery. During this process, a surgeon makes tiny incisions to insert small surgical instruments. Robotic surgery allows the surgeon to act with greater precision while minimizing pain, discomfort and scarring.

Our goal is to remove as much of the cancer as we can in the least invasive way possible. We use laparoscopy and other minimally invasive gynecological surgery techniques in which the surgeon guides tiny instruments through small incisions. Healing from this type of surgery tends to be faster and less painful.

Other surgical treatments include:

  • Radical hysterectomy: During this procedure, the surgeon removes the uterus, cervix and a small portion of the vagina. After this type of surgery, a woman will not be able to have children, but she will still be able to experience sexual pleasure. The specialists at the Cedars-Sinai Fertility and Reproductive Medicine Center will meet with you before the surgery to discuss your options.
  • Radical trachelectomy: A gynecologic oncologist removes the cervix and a small part of the vagina. However, the uterus remains intact, so a woman is able to carry a pregnancy to term that will be delivered by cesarean section.
Targeted Therapy

We use poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, which were recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat women with ovarian cancer. PARP inhibitors can prevent damaged DNA within cancer cells from repairing, which causes the cancer cells to die.

Like chemotherapy, these cancer-fighting drugs slow or stop the growth of cancer. However, targeted therapy often has fewer side effects.

Radiation Therapy

You may need radiation therapy (high-dose radiation beams aimed at the tumor) before or after surgery. The specialists at the Cedars-Sinai Radiation Oncology Department use advanced computer software and imaging to target the radiation beams directly at the tumor, minimizing exposure to healthy tissue.


Why Choose Cedars-Sinai for Women's Cancer Care?

We take a bench-to-bedside approach to treating cancer. That means that all of our oncologists also conduct research. They use their scientific findings to inform your treatment plan. You will also benefit from:

  • Expert doctors: Our gynecologic oncologists are board-certified, highly experienced physicians who have dedicated their careers to understanding and treating women with cancer. You gain the advantage of their collective years of experience and wisdom.
  • Team-based approach: Our doctors work closely together to determine the most aggressive treatment for you. They hold weekly conferences and preoperative meetings to discuss patient cases and establish the most effective treatment plan, tailored to your individual needs.
  • Leading treatments: We use minimally invasive robotic surgery whenever possible to limit your discomfort and speed recovery. Our oncologists use the most advanced chemotherapy and radiation therapy available, as well as immunotherapy, which uses the body’s own immune system to fight the cancer.
  • Clinical trials: Not only do our doctors use leading-edge treatments—we help develop them. We have ongoing clinical trials that provide eligible patients with access to the latest therapies before they are widely available.
  • Support services: At the Women’s Cancer Program, we treat the whole woman. We will be by your side every step of the way, encouraging you physically, emotionally and spiritually. You can receive assistance and comfort from psychologists, social workers, nutritionists and chaplains through Cedars-Sinai Supportive Care Services.

Contact Us

Give us a call  and we will help you find the right care as soon as possible.

Monday through Friday, 8 am - 5 pm PT

7 days a week, 6 am - 9 pm PT

(1-800-233-2771)