Treatment Options for Uterine Sarcoma

At Fox Chase Cancer Center, our multidisciplinary medical team works closely to accurately diagnose your uterine sarcoma and help you understand your options so that you can make an informed decision about your treatment.

As a regional and national leader in cancer care, Fox Chase has a wealth of experience treating all types of uterine sarcoma.

Our skilled gynecologic oncology team meets regularly to review patient cases and map out a personalized treatment plan. We strive to treat your cancer in the least invasive way possible, using innovative surgical techniques and combination therapies that give you the best chance of a successful outcome.

Our doctors are also actively involved in developing new therapies for treating uterine sarcoma. Through clinical trials, we are able to offer our patients access to promising treatments and experimental therapies that may not be available elsewhere. Ask your Fox Chase doctor if a clinical trial is right for you.

Your Treatment Options

Treatment for uterine sarcoma depends on the stage, type and grade of your cancer; whether it has invaded other tissues; and your age, health history and personal goals. Your personalized treatment plan will be created after consultations with multiple physicians within our multidisciplinary team and may include a combination of one or more of the following treatment options.

Surgery

Most uterine sarcomas are treated with some type of surgery, depending on the depth of invasion by the cancer cells. Procedures offered to patients with uterine sarcoma include:

  • Surgical treatment of pre-invasive lesions
  • Elective removal of the ovaries and uterus to reduce risk of cancer in high-risk women
  • Plastic and reconstructive surgery to improve quality of life, restore anatomy and retain function

Gynecologic surgeons at Fox Chase Cancer Center are regional and national leaders in performing complex surgeries for patients with uterine sarcoma. Our surgeons perform these procedures via robotic, laparoscopic and traditional abdominal incision approaches, depending on a patient’s individual needs.

Systemic Therapy

The medical oncologists at Fox Chase are regional and national leaders in the treatment of uterine sarcoma. As part of the multidisciplinary team, your medical oncologist will help to determine your personalized treatment plan, which may include systemic therapies, such as targeted therapy, immunotherapy or chemotherapy, either as standard of care or as part of a clinical trial. Systemic therapy may be given before or after surgery and may also be recommended to patients who are diagnosed after the cancer has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic cancer).

Radiation Therapy

The radiation oncologists at Fox Chase specialize in treating uterine sarcoma using the latest radiation therapies. Radiation therapy uses high-energy beams to kill cancer cells and may be given in combination with chemotherapy if you are unable to tolerate surgery or in combination with chemotherapy and surgery for patients with invasive uterine sarcoma.

Clinical Trials

The Center actively participates in a number of clinical trials for patients with uterine sarcoma. In addition to receiving excellent care, our patients also benefit from the groundbreaking research that we do to expand our understanding of new therapies and treatments. We encourage eligible patients to participate in clinical trials that are available and appropriate for their stage and type of uterine sarcoma.

Preserving Fertility

Certain gynecological cancers and their related treatments can lead to a loss of fertility. The gynecologic oncology team at Fox Chase works with younger women to explore fertility sparing treatment options that may preserve their ability to have children, including surgical techniques that may leave reproductive organs intact.