WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

AS WITH any operation, these include bleeding, infection and ongoing pain.

THE use of brachytherapy in addition to radiation for cervical cancer improves survival by 12 per cent, says Dr Mary McCormack, oncologist at University College Hospital in London.

‘The reason we use brachytherapy is that we can give a larger dose to the tumour without overdosing the surrounding tissue, which can cause significant longterm side-effects,’ she says. ‘Using needles allows us to target this dose better if the cancer has spread outside the cervix.

‘It’s hoped this approach will improve the survival rates for cervical cancer, which have remained at 65 per cent for 20 years or so.’