Page last updated: January 2026
The information on this webpage was adapted from Understanding Cervical Cancer - A guide for people with cancer, their families and friends (2025 edition). This webpage was last updated in January 2026.
Expert content reviewers:
This information was developed with the help of a range of health professionals and people affected by cervical cancer:
- Dr Antonia Jones, Gynaecological Oncologist, Royal Women’s Hospital and Mercy Hospital for Women, Melbourne, VIC
- Angelyn Aligarbes, Consumer
- A/Prof Emma Allanson, Gynaecological Oncologist and Head of Dept, Gynaecologic Oncology, King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women, WA
- Gemma Busuttil, Radiation Therapist Specialist, Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre, Westmead Hospital, NSW
- Laura Carman, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council VIC
- Danielle Carpenter, Gynaecology Nurse Consultant, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC
- A/Prof Pearly Khaw, Lead Radiation Oncologist – Gynae-Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC
- Georgina Richter, Gynae-Oncology Clinical Nurse Consultant, Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA
- A/Prof Megan Smith, Research Fellow, Cancer Elimination Collaboration, University of Sydney, NSW
- Sophia Wooldridge, Senior Clinical Psychologist, Hunter New England Centre for Gynaecological Cancer, John Hunter Hospital, NSW
- Melissa Whalen, Consumer.
The treatment you have will depend on the stage of the cancer; your age and general health; and whether you would like to have children in the future.
You may have more than one treatment, and treatments may be given in different orders and combinations.
Surgery
For some people, surgery may be the only treatment needed. Surgery is usually recommended when the tumour is in the cervix only.
The type of surgery you have will depend on how far within the cervix the cancer has spread.
Types of surgery
How the surgery is done
Surgery is done under a general anaesthetic. Research has shown that outcomes are generally better with open surgery (laparotomy).
This means that the surgery is performed through a cut in the abdomen.
Keyhole surgery (laparoscopy or robotic surgery) may be used for selected cases, usually early cervical cancer.
Surgery types
- Cone biopsy – Removes a cone-shaped piece of tissue around the cancer, including a margin of healthy tissue. A cone biopsy is used to treat very early cervical cancers.
- Total hysterectomy – Removes the uterus and cervix. It’s used for early cervical cancer. The fallopian tubes are often removed too. If you haven’t gone through menopause, you may be able to keep your ovaries.
- Radical hysterectomy – Removes the uterus, cervix and top of the vagina. It’s the usual surgery for cervical cancers. Fallopian tubes are often removed too. You may keep your ovaries if you haven’t gone through menopause.
- Bilateral salpingooophorectomy – Removes both fallopian tubes and ovaries. This may be done during a hysterectomy if there’s a risk the cancer has spread, or if you’ve been through menopause.
- Lymph node surgery – Lymph nodes in the pelvis or groin may be removed to check for the spread of cancer. This is called a lymphadenectomy (lymph node dissection).
Side effects of surgery
These can include:
- Problems with the bladder – Surgery can affect some of the nerves to the bladder. You may feel that you’re not able to empty your bladder completely or that you’re emptying your bladder very slowly. These problems usually improve with time. You may also leak some urine after surgery (urinary incontinence).
- Lymphoedema – Sometimes removing lymph nodes in the pelvic area can stop or slow the natural flow of lymphatic fluid from the legs. This may cause lymphoedema – a build-up of fluid in the soft tissues under the skin – in the legs or genital area. Lymphoedema may appear during treatment or months or years later. For more information, see our Understanding Lymphoedema fact sheet.
- Menopause – If your ovaries are removed before you’ve gone through menopause, it will cause sudden menopause. This means your periods will stop immediately, and you won’t be able to become pregnant. If you’re finding it difficult to manage menopause symptoms, talk to your doctor about whether menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) might be right for you.
- Internal scar tissue (adhesions) – Scar tissue in the pelvis may stick together. Sometimes, these adhesions, particularly those affecting the bowel or bladder, may cause pain or discomfort in the abdomen (belly). Rarely, adhesions may need to be treated with surgery
Radiation therapy
Also known as radiotherapy, this treatment uses targeted radiation, such as x-ray beams, to damage or kill cancer cells.
Radiation therapy is often used with chemotherapy as the main treatment for cervical cancer. This is called chemoradiation.
Radiation therapy may also be given after surgery to help destroy any remaining cancer cells and lower the risk of the cancer coming back. This is called adjuvant therapy.
If scans show that the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes or tissues around the cervix, chemoradiation is usually recommended as the main treatment. In these cases, surgery to remove the uterus or cervix is often not needed.
There are two main ways of delivering radiation therapy: externally or internally. It is common to have both types to treat cervical cancer.
External beam radiation therapy (EBRT)
In EBRT, a machine precisely directs radiation beams from outside the body to the affected areas of the pelvis. You will lie on a treatment table under the radiation machine.
Each treatment session takes around 10–15 minutes and is painless. EBRT for cervical cancer is usually given daily, Monday to Friday, over 4–6 weeks.
The exact number of treatment sessions you have will depend on the type and size of the cancer, and whether it has spread to the lymph nodes.
Internal radiation therapy (brachytherapy)
Brachytherapy delivers radiation directly to the cancer from inside your body, usually through the vagina.
It allows a higher radiation dose to be delivered to the cancer, while reducing the amount of radiation to nearby organs (e.g. bowel, bladder). It’s usually given after external radiation (EBRT).
The most common type is high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy, with only a few sessions. You may have treatment as a day patient or stay overnight in hospital. A general or spinal anaesthetic is usually given.
A device called an applicator is placed into the cervix through the vagina to deliver the radiation. Treatment usually takes about 10–20 minutes.
After brachytherapy, you may feel some discomfort in the vaginal region or have a small amount of bleeding. Pain medicines can help.
Brachytherapy for cervical cancer is not provided at all hospitals, so you may have to travel for treatment.
Side effects of radiation therapy
The side effects you have will vary depending on the dose of radiation and the length of the treatment. One of the main side effects can be changes to the vagina. Other side effects include:
- Fatigue – Tiredness usually builds up slowly during the treatment, particularly near the end. It may last for some time after treatment ends.
- Bladder and bowel changes – You may pass urine more often or with more urgency, or feel a burning sensation. Try to drink plenty of water to dilute your urine. Bowel movements may be more frequent, urgent or loose (diarrhoea), or you may pass more wind than normal.
- Skin redness, soreness and swelling – Radiation therapy may make the skin in the treatment area dry and itchy. Occasionally, your skin may look red and peel, like sunburn. The treatment team will recommend creams to use to ease any itching and make you more comfortable.
- Hair loss – When radiation therapy is aimed at your pelvic area, you may lose your pubic hair. This hair may grow back after the treatment ends, but it will usually be thinner.
- Vaginal discharge – Radiation therapy may cause or increase vaginal discharge. Let your treatment team know if it smells different or has blood in it.
- Menopause – If your ovaries have not been removed, radiation therapy can stop the ovaries producing hormones, which leads to early menopause. Your periods will stop, you will no longer be able to become pregnant, and you may have menopause symptoms. You can talk to your doctor about whether you can take menopausal hormone therapy (MHT).
Most side effects of radiation therapy will be short-term and appear during or soon after treatment. Side effects can take several weeks to get better and some may continue for longer.
Sometimes, side effects may not show up until months or years after treatment. These are called late effects.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells or slow their growth while causing the least possible damage to healthy cells. It may be given:
- in combination with radiation therapy (chemoradiation) as the main treatment for cervical cancer
- on its own or combined with other drug therapies.
In most cases, drugs are usually given through a vein (intravenously) during day visits to a hospital or clinic.
Chemotherapy is usually given as a period of treatment followed by a break. This is called a cycle. The number of cycles you have depends on the type of cervical cancer and any other treatments you may be having.
If you have chemotherapy without radiation therapy, you are likely to have up to six cycles (with a cycle every 3–4 weeks), though it may continue for longer.
Side effects of chemotherapy
The possible side effects depend on:
- the drugs given
- how often you have treatment
- your general health, and
- whether you have chemotherapy alone or chemoradiation.
You may have nausea or vomiting; feel very tired (fatigue); or lose hair from your body or head. Temporary or permanent menopause may also occur.
Chemotherapy can reduce the number of blood cells in your body, so you will have regular blood tests during treatment to monitor this.
Depending on the type of blood cells affected, you may feel very tired and be more likely to get infections. If your temperature rises to 38°C or above, go to the nearest hospital emergency department immediately.
Most side effects of chemotherapy are temporary. Your doctor can help you to prevent or reduce them.
Other drug therapies
Targeted therapy and immunotherapy are other types of drug therapies. They can sometimes be used to treat cervical cancer.
Targeted therapy
This is a drug treatment that attacks specific features of cancer cells to stop the cancer growing and spreading.
It may be used to treat advanced cervical cancer that has spread to other parts of the body or has come back.
It is usually given with chemotherapy every three weeks through a drip into a vein (infusion). The total number of infusions you receive will depend on how you respond to the drug.
Side effects of targeted therapy
The most common side effects include high blood pressure, feeling tired and loss of appetite. Less common side effects include bleeding, blood clots and problems with wound healing.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a type of drug treatment that helps the body’s own immune system to fight cancer.
It may be offered to certain people with cervical cancer that has not responded to treatment, has spread or has come back. It is usually given at the same time as chemotherapy.
Side effects of immunotherapy
This treatment can have a range of side effects. Common side effects can include fatigue, diarrhoea, itching and joint pain.
Cervical cancer clinical trials
Cancer clinical trials are research studies that test whether a new approach to prevention, screening, diagnosis, or treatment works better than current methods and is safe.
There are clinical trials for cervical cancer open to recruitment in Victoria. This list shows the most recently updated cervical cancer studies on the Victorian Cancer Trials Link (VCTL).
Visit the VCTL to find more cervical cancer clinical trials.