After you have had a hysterectomy, your healthcare team will ask you to come back to the hospital for regular check-ups. This is so you continue to get proper care and support.
We know that waiting for follow-up appointments can be difficult, which is why we are here to support you. You may find it helpful to give us a call on 0808 802 8000 before or after treatment, or speak with our 1:1 service.
On this page:
- Checking the treatment was successful >
- Treatment summary >
- Check-up appointments >
- More information and support >
In this section:
Checking the treatment was successful
After a hysterectomy, the cancer and other areas that were removed will be sent to a laboratory. A specialist called a histopathologist will look at it under a microscope. They will check whether:
- all the cancer has been removed
- there are clear margins.
Having clear margins this means there is an edge around the cancer that is ‘clear’ – there are no cancer cells there. The size of the margins that your healthcare team is happy with may vary. Usually, clear margins are 2mm or more.
If you don’t have clear margins, you may need further treatment. This may also happen:
- if the cancer has spread
- to reduce the risk of the cervical cancer coming back.
You may be offered further surgery or chemotherapy given with radiotherapy (chemoradiation). It is important to discuss the risks and benefit of any treatments with your healthcare team.