Invasive Carcinoma of the Cervix

European Practice in Gynaecology and Obstetrics is a series of books published under the auspices of EBCOG. In each volume, the specialist will find a review of basic science, recent concepts in pathophysiology, clinical aspects, imaging, treatment and unresolved problems or controversies, and up-to-date references. The management of cervical cancer has evolved greatly over the past 20 years. Above all, screening and treatment of pre-invasive lesions have allowed a significant decrease in the incidence of cervical cancer in developed nations. Although clinical examinations and staging are most important in assessing lesions, MRI and the laparoscopic approach now offer a more precise evaluation of the locoregional spread of the disease and of the main prognostic factors upon which the increasingly specific therapeutic indications depend. Major therapeutic advances in stages I and II have also made it possible to preserve fertility to obtain better results by associating radiation and chemotherapy. This progress is the fruit of the work of international teams, many of them European, but is based on screening and diagnoses by individual physicians throughout the world. Invasive Carcinoma of the cervix, the first book in the EPGO collection, presents the current status and practices in managing this pathology.