Dr. Kimberly Levinson Discusses New Findings in Gynecologic Surgery Study

According to the American Cancer Society, 13,000 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed in the U.S., and the disease leads to more than 4,000 deaths annually. The medical community has stressed that cervical cancer can be successfully treated when it's discovered early.

Two studies, recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, could change the way surgeons approach treatment. Research showed that the type of surgery a woman has can affect her ability to survive cervical cancer. The studies compared the same radical hysterectomy operation, which is the standard treatment for cervical cancer, performed both as open surgery and as a minimally invasive procedure.

Dr. Kimberly Levinson, associate director of Gynecologic Oncology at GBMC, explains the studies’ findings.