Advanced cervical cancer is cancer that has spread outside of the pelvis or has come back after treatment. You may hear this called metastatic or recurrent cervical cancer.
You may be diagnosed with locally advanced cervical cancer. This is cervical cancer that has spread outside of the cervix to nearby areas of the body. This normally means stages 1B2 to 4A. The information on this page is not about locally advanced cervical cancer.
On this page:
- What is advanced cervical cancer? >
- Symptoms of advanced cervical cancer >
- Diagnosing advanced cervical cancer >
- Your multidisciplinary team (MDT) >
- Making decisions about treatment >
- Treatment for advanced cervical cancer >
- More information and support >
What is advanced cervical cancer?
The language used for advanced cervical cancer can be confusing and it may not always be the same, depending on who you speak to.
We define advanced cervical cancer as:
- cervical cancer that has spread from the cervix to other parts of the body – this includes the stomach, liver, lungs and bones (metastatic).
- cervical cancer that has come back after treatment and spread outside of the pelvis (recurrent).
Different doctors may use different words to describe this stage of cancer. It’s best to ask your healthcare team about the stage of cancer you have and what treatments may be available.
Symptoms of advanced cervical cancer
Advanced cervical cancer is more likely to cause symptoms than cervical cancers at an earlier stage. These symptoms can include:
- blood in your wee
- leaking wee
- bone pain
- swollen ankles, legs and feet (oedema)
- pain in your side or between your ribs and hips
- other changes to your bladder or bowel habits
- loss of appetite
- weight loss
- extreme tiredness (fatigue)
- vaginal bleeding.
If you have any of the symptoms, it is important to let your GP or hospital healthcare team know straight away. These may not be a sign of the cervical cancer coming back, but you should have tests to check them out.
Diagnosing advanced cervical cancer
If your healthcare team think your cancer has spread, they will use different tests to work out how big the cancer is, where it has spread and what treatments may help. These include:
- PET-CT scan
- MRI scan
- CT scan
- surgery to remove the lymph nodes (lymphadenectomy).
Read about tests for cervical cancer >
Understanding your diagnosis
Your healthcare team may call the type of cervical cancer you have ‘incurable’. Others may call your treatment palliative. And some might not use any of these words. This can be confusing and leave you feeling unsure about the future, so it is important to get them to explain the words they use. You might like to write down the definitions.
You may want to know whether the cancer can be cured, how it will develop, or how long you have left to live. This is called the prognosis. The prognosis will be individual to you. It depends on several things, including how far the cancer has spread and what treatments you can have.
Your healthcare team are the best people to speak with about your prognosis and any other questions about the cancer or treatment. They will be able to help make things clearer and support you if any of the news comes as a shock.
Your multidisciplinary team (MDT)
You should be cared for and treated by a multidisciplinary team (MDT). Your MDT may include:
- a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) nurse – your main contact if you have any questions or worries outside of your appointments
- a consultant oncologist, consultant gynaeoncologist or consultant surgeon – a doctor who specialises in treating cancers, usually with surgery
- a clinical oncologist or clinical gynaeoncologist – a doctor who specialises in treating cancer with radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other targeted therapies
- a pathologist or histopathologist – an expert who specialises in how diseases affects the body
- a radiologist – an expert who specialises in diagnosing and treating diseases using scans and images
- a clinical psychologist – an expert who can help you manage the emotional impact of advanced cervical cancer.
You may also be referred to other specialists, including dieticians, physiotherapists and research doctors or nurses.