She Gives Birth to a Baby Girl Despite her Cervical Cancer

A young woman recently became a mother despite her cervical cancer, thanks to a surgery still practiced in France to avoid removing the entire uterus, the most commonly proposed treatment resulting in infertility.

At the announcement of her cervical cancer two years ago, Claire believed she could never have children. And yet, she was able to carry and give birth to her daughter Loéva last May. A "miracle" that could occur thanks to an unprecedented technique of Montpellier University Hospital, as she tells France Bleu Hérault. Women with this type of cancer are often offered as a treatment surgery called hysterectomy, which involves removing the uterus. "And also, in some cases, the lymph nodes. We talk about enlarged hysterectomy. It can be offered to treat small tumors, "says the National Cancer Institute (INCA).

A removal of the uterus which implies infertility. "The doctor had recommended an ablation emergency, in panic," says the young woman. But fortunately this one is directed towards the CHU of Montpellier which proposes in this case an alternative. The young woman is entitled to a different operation, trachelectomy, the purpose of which is to remove only the cervix. As the Inca points out, "this so-called conservative surgery is an alternative that can be offered to young women who want to maintain their fertility and are planning a future pregnancy. Very delicate, this intervention is carried out in some specialized centers in France. "

"It is possible to remove only part of the uterus"

Two months after her diagnosis, Claire undergoes this operation that Montpellier University Hospital is one of the only ones to offer in France, also limited to certain patients: those under 40 years and whose stage of illness is still limited. We must ensure that it is possible to remove only one part of the uterus, the cervix, "says radio Gauthier Rathat, Claire's doctor. " It's not always the case. But when you can, it helps treat both the disease and allow patients to become pregnant. People need to know that this technique exists: cervical cancer is not equal to uterine cancer. There are other possibilities than removing the uterus, "he adds.

Well aware of her luck, the young mother nevertheless had to deal with difficult months, this intervention being particularly at risk with regard to miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies. "Pregnancy was stress, waiting, anxiety, but now it's just happiness. For us it's important to talk about it, to show people that it's possible to have a child even after having cancer, "she says. This concludes: "I can not even explain the happiness it is. We thought it would never be possible. According to the Inca, cervical cancer is the 12th leading cause of cancer in women with 2,797 new cases in France in 2015.