At Hackensack Meridian Health, we place a special focus on providing women with outstanding gynecological cancer care. Our specialists provide expert treatment for cervical cancer, which begins in the cells of your cervix.

Our team of fellowship-trained, board-certified gynecologic oncologists will meet at a weekly tumor board with other physicians and members of the gynecologic oncology team — including physician assistants, nurse navigators, genetic counselors, and nutritionists — to discuss and create a personalized treatment plan that addresses your specific needs and sets you on a path toward healing.

Instead of receiving the opinion of only one physician, our collaborative, multidisciplinary approach allows you to receive expert medical recommendations from multiple healthcare providers at the same time — ensuring that you receive the highest-quality, most comprehensive cervical cancer care. Our specialists also consult with integrative medicine and palliative care providers, as needed.

Multidisciplinary Approach to Care

With a multidisciplinary approach and open lines of communication among medical specialists, our team is making strides in all areas of cervical cancer treatment, from diagnosis to survivorship. Your multidisciplinary gynecologic cancer care team will include your referring physician, medical and radiation oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, nurse navigators and other related specialists, such as genetic counselors, nutritionists, integrative medicine specialists, palliative care specialists, case managers, social workers, and physical therapists. Together, your team will review your case before recommending treatment options.

Surgery for Cervical Cancer

Our gynecologic oncologists provide expert minimally invasive and traditional radical surgical treatment for cervical cancer and state of the art staging technology. Depending on the extent of your cancer and whether you would like to have children in the future, your surgeon will recommend the best surgical procedure for you. Your surgeon also will work closely with you to help you understand the procedure, its risks and benefits, and what to expect during your recovery. Members of your cancer care team will also be available to provide you with information and emotional support.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy kills cervical cancer cells using high, precisely targeted doses of radiation that are delivered to your pelvis by a special machine. In some cases, radiation therapy can be delivered through your vagina using tiny, safe implants during a treatment called brachytherapy. Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, is sometimes used by itself to destroy cancerous cells, but it also can be used in combination with chemotherapy or surgery. Our team uses the latest radiation therapy techniques and technology to treat cervical cancer.

Chemotherapy Anti-angiogenesis and Targeted Therapy

We offer advanced chemotherapy treatments that follow current evidence-based national guidelines and recommendations. Additionally, we are at the forefront of the most modern treatment technologies such as tumor gene expression profiling, which helps our specialists develop the best personalized cervical cancer treatment approaches using targeted therapies and immunotherapy. Your multidisciplinary cancer care team will work together to determine which treatment — or combination of treatments — will be most beneficial for your condition.

Preserving Fertility

When a woman in her reproductive years is diagnosed with cervical cancer and wants to have a baby in the future, our team will help her explore her options for fertility preservation. To help women preserve fertility, we use state-of-the-art surgical procedures and techniques, as well as a multidisciplinary collaboration with reproductive endocrinology, infertility, and high-risk pregnancy teams. Our services include fertility-preserving surgery, fertility-preserving medical management, egg and embryo cryopreservation, fertility counseling, nutritional, psychological, and group support, and more.

Clinical Trials and Research

Our team participates in large national and international clinical trials in collaboration with national cooperative groups and pharmaceutical companies. Our clinical trials give patients with newly diagnosed cancer access to therapies such as maintenance treatments that protect against recurrence of disease, and provide our patients with recurrent cancer the chance to try promising new treatment protocols. Our team’s “out of the box” attitude and approach to cervical cancer care keeps our treatment strategy on the leading edge of science while providing the maximum treatment benefit to our patients.

Through our alliance with the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University and John Theurer Cancer Center, we also participate in preclinical scientific trials looking at disease genesis and behavior as well as tumor markers and targets of gynecological cancers. Our specialists are conducting this advanced research in the hope that it will one day translate into prevention, early detection, and precise targeting of gynecological cancers, including cervical cancer.

Supportive Services

If you need surgery, our exceptional team of nurses, physical therapists, nutritionists, and palliative care specialists make sure that your postoperative care is medically optimal, with as little pain and worry as possible.

Our patient advocates and in-hospital concierge services will make sure your hospital stay is as pleasant as can be, and our efficient case managers and social workers will plan your discharge either to home or to a rehabilitation facility of your choice while arranging all appropriate services and care. Additionally, our nurse navigators will assist you with scheduling outpatient follow-up visits, treatments, and tests.

Other supportive services include pastoral care and integrative medicine. Hackensack Meridian Health patients also have access to a variety of health services including acute and sub-acute rehabilitation facilities, outpatient rehabilitation and fitness centers, and ambulance services — all geared toward providing seamless, comprehensive, and continuous care and support for patients and families.

Offices and Facilities

Our gynecologic oncology physicians and team members see patients at several Hackensack Meridian outpatient locations throughout Monmouth and Ocean counties, including Manahawkin, Brick, Jackson, Neptune, Red Bank, and Old Bridge.

We perform surgeries at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Riverview Medical Center, and Ocean Medical Center. Our state-of-the-art facilities have expertly staffed operating rooms and intensive care units that are equipped with the latest minimally invasive surgical technology and most-advanced equipment.

Our facilities feature newly renovated chemotherapy infusion and radiation therapy suites where patients are cared for by expert physicians, nurses, and support staff. Additionally, the renovated contemporary floors and rooms offer many comfortable amenities, including spectacular views.