Four years after their wedding, Angela and Pier Blomquist decided they were ready to start a family. After a routine visit to her gynecologist, Angela found out that she had an abnormal Pap smear. She wasn’t overly concerned because she had had abnormal Pap smears in the past, but this time it was different. On a follow-up visit Angela’s doctor confirmed that she had cervical cancer.
“I didn’t feel sick, so it was a shock to me,” said Angela. “The only thing that ran through my head was – I want to still be able to have children.”
My gynecologist referred me to Cooper’s Gynecologic Cancer program and I made an appointment with Dr. Warshal.
“When I first met Angela it was clear that having a child was very important to her,” said David P. Warshal, MD, Head of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper. “We discussed the full range of surgical options for the treatment of her cancer – one of which was a radical trachelectomy, a surgical procedure that allows us to effectively treat the cancer, but preserve the patient’s ability to have children.”
“I learned that many women diagnosed with cervical cancer have a radical hysterectomy. Not many surgeons perform radical trachelectomies – it’s a complicated procedure,” said Angela. “But Cooper’s gynecologic cancer team was able to offer me this option. And it was exactly what I was hoping for.”
“We never lose sight of the life-altering impact of cancer and its treatment on all aspects of a woman’s life, including future child-bearing,” Dr. Warshal emphasized. “Preserving fertility is of critical importance to our team.”
During a radical tracheletomy, gynecologic oncologists remove the cervix, some of the tissue surrounding the cervix and a small part of the bottom of the uterus. The surgeon then connects the bottom of the uterus to the top of the vagina and places a retaining stitch around the lower part of the uterus. This procedure allows a woman to carry a pregnancy.
“One concern we have with this procedure is that we have to make certain that the surgical margins are free of cancer,” said Dr. Warshal.
The surgeon’s goal is to take out all of the cervical cancer, along with a small amount of normal tissue that surrounds it. This is to ensure that all of the cancer has been removed. During the surgery, a pathologist examines this rim of tissue that has been removed – called the surgical margin – to be sure it’s clear of any cancer cells. If cancer cells are present, the surgeon would need to perform a hysterectomy.
“Thankfully, during Angela’s surgery we received the word from the pathologist that the margins were clear and that we could go forward with the planned radical trachelectomy,” said Dr. Warshal.
Angela had an uneventful recovery from her surgery, and about nine months afterward Dr. Warshal gave her and Pier the okay to start their family.
“He told us that it might be difficult to conceive, but not to get discouraged if I wasn’t able to get pregnant right away. But a few months after we started trying, I found out that I was pregnant!”
Angela and Pier welcomed their daughter Anika (now five-years-old) into their lives. And most recently, they welcomed their son Patrik, who was born in November 2014.
With five fellowship-trained subspecialists, the Gynecologic Cancer Program at MD Anderson Cooper is the largest program of its kind in New Jersey, but what truly distinguishes the program is the team’s depth of experience and its multidisciplinary approach to gynecologic cancer care.
Cooper’s gynecologic oncologists work to provide their patients with the most advanced diagnostic and treatment technologies available including intraperitoneal chemotherapy (for advanced ovarian cancer), innovatice radiation therapies, robotic-assisted surgery and minimally invasive surgery. Patients also have access to groundbreaking clinical trials and a full complement of support services.
“We provide virtually every aspect of gynecologic oncology care; and, with seven offices located throughout South Jersey, and one in Langhorne, PA, access to advanced care is exceptionally convenient” said, Dr. Warshal.
“I’m so thankful that my gynecologist referred me to Cooper and Dr. Warshal,” said Angela. “I can’t imagine my life without my children.”
If you have been diagnosed with cervical cancer or another gynecologic cancer and would like to see a member of the gynecologic cancer team at MD Anderson Cooper, call 1.855.MDA.COOPER (1.855.632.2667).