By the end of 2007, more than 11,000 women will have been told they have cervical cancer.* But doctors are getting better at treating it and increasing patients' chances of survival. They're making those improvements with the help of some high-tech imaging.
Linda Witter knows just how quickly cancer can change your life. After the thrill of winning an Olympic medal as the coach of the U.S. Synchronized Swim Team, she found herself in the battle of her life with cervical cancer.
"When the medalists and everybody was getting ready to visit the President, I was told I had cancer. And it really was the worst day of my life," says Witter.
That was nearly four years ago. Today, Linda is a cervical cancer survivor. Because of new research led by Nina Mayr, MD, at Ohio State University's James Cancer Hospital, there may be even more women like Linda. Mayr and her team have found that by using MRI technology, they can monitor treatments in women as they are given. That helps doctors personalize their care.
"The innovative thing about the MRI is that we are doing it during treatment - not before and after. That's because we need to measure what the blood flow is like during treatment," says Mayr.
In a recent study, Mayr and her colleagues found that if a woman has enough red blood cells, and there is good blood flow inside the tumor, treatments like chemotherapy can nearly double a woman's chances of survival.** If the MRI shows both red blood cells and blood flow are low, doctors can then alter their treatment to be more aggressive.
"I think we're very excited that we found yet another piece to the puzzle that can help us make the treatment more individualized for the patient and hopefully get them a better chance," says Mayr.
Mayr's study shows that if a woman's red blood cells and blood flow inside the tumor are good, the chance of survival jumps from 56% to over 90%.** Doctors say it's important for women to get an annual pap smear test to check for cervical cancer because there are often no signs or symptoms until it's in the later stages.
*The American Cancer Society , How Many Women Get Cancer of the Cervix?