Advanced, Compassionate Care
At NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital, we provide seamless care for patients with gynecologic cancers in a warm and personal environment. From screening and diagnosis to treatment and follow-up, we offer a full range of services. If you have an increased risk of gynecologic cancer because of family history, you can consult with a genetic counselor, access genetic testing (for example, screening for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations or Lynch syndrome), and receive customized treatment recommendations to reduce your risk. \
What We Treat
We provide treatment for all types and stages of gynecologic cancers, including:
- Ovarian cancer
- Fallopian tube cancer
- Primary peritoneal cancer
- Endometrial (uterine) cancer
- Uterine sarcomas, such as leiomyosarcoma
- Cervical cancer
- Vaginal cancer
- Vulvar cancer
Screening & Diagnosis
Screening with Pap testing is available for cervical cancer. If tests are needed to assess the results of a positive Pap smear or diagnose the cause of gynecologic symptoms, we offer:
- Physical examination
- Imaging exams such as CT, MRI, and PET/CT scanning
- Biopsy to remove a sample of tissue to analyze for cancer cells
- Removal of pelvic lymph nodes during surgical treatment to determine the stage of disease
Our Approach to Care
Our doctors, who are also part of the gynecologic cancer care team at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, approach treatment with compassion and thoroughness. Your team includes gynecologic oncologists who oversee your care and collaborate with pathologists, radiologists, genetic counselors, nutritionists, oncology nurses and nurse practitioners, psychosocial support specialists, and other experts committed to women's health. We consider you and your family, your history, and your personal preferences when planning and providing your care. A patient navigator coordinates the various components of your treatment and serves as your point of contact for any questions you may have.
We understand that a diagnosis of cancer can be challenging for you as well as your loved ones. That's why we offer psychosocial, nutritional, and other support services for patients with gynecologic cancers. Your team also includes palliative care specialists, ensuring that your quality of life is the best it can be from the moment of diagnosis and throughout your treatment.
How We Treat Gynecologic Cancers
If you have been diagnosed with gynecologic cancer, your treatment may include surgery, medical treatments, radiation therapy, or a combination of those approaches, depending on the type, stage, and biology of your cancer.
Minimally invasive gynecologic surgery
Our gynecologic oncologists take a minimally invasive approach to surgery whenever possible. You may have laparoscopy, which can sometimes be performed as an outpatient procedure and which is associated with smaller incisions, less blood loss, and a shorter recovery time than open abdominal surgery. Our surgeons are exceptionally skilled at performing robotic gynecologic cancer surgery and these specific procedures:
- Laser surgery for precancers of the cervix or vulva, as well as cryosurgery (freezing temperatures) for cervical precancers
- Surgical removal of diseased tissue for cervical precancers and some small vulvar cancers
- Hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) and sometimes the ovaries and fallopian tubes (salpingo-oophorectomy)
- Radical trachelectomy — removal of the cervix and the upper part of the vagina, leaving the body of the uterus in place • Vulvectomy to remove part or all of the vulva for cancers that have grown more deeply into the vulva
- "Debulking" surgery for ovarian cancer — extensive removal of tissue in the abdomen that contains ovarian cancer cells
- Fertility-preserving surgery. If you wish to become pregnant after your treatment is over, we have expertise in fertility-sparing surgery whenever feasible that can preserve the ability to have children without compromising your outcome. We can collaborate with infertility specialists to review your fertility preservation options. Embryo freezing and egg freezing are sometimes available before you begin your cancer treatment, and in vitro fertilization afterward.
Chemotherapy and immunotherapy
Most women with ovarian cancer and others with a gynecologic cancer that has spread need chemotherapy to kill any cancer cells remaining in the body. Women with certain types of advanced cervical cancer or ovarian cancers with specific genetic features may receive pembrolizumab, a type of immunotherapy that boosts the ability of the immune system to detect and kill cancer cells. Intravenous treatments are provided in our modern and comfortable infusion suite, where you are monitored by our experienced oncology nurses. Some vulvar precancers (such as vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia) are treated with topical chemotherapy, which you can apply yourself at home as a cream or lotion.
Targeted therapies
Precision medicine — tailoring treatment to the biology of your tumor — enables us to offer targeted therapies for some gynecologic cancers, such as PARP inhibitors for some patients with advanced ovarian cancer.
Hormonal therapy
Some patients with uterine cancer receive hormonal therapy to inhibit tumor growth. Your doctors will let you know if this is an option for you.
Radiation therapy
Our goal is to destroy cancer cells while sparing as much healthy tissue as possible, using techniques such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).
Why Choose Us
If you've been diagnosed with gynecologic cancer, you may be concerned about your future, your fertility and sexuality, and how you’ll feel during treatment. At NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital, we understand your concerns and are committed to providing the most effective treatments that are the least disruptive to your life. If your cancer cannot be successfully treated with standard therapies, we can also connect you with clinical trials assessing innovative treatments for gynecologic cancers through our affiliation with the National Cancer Institute-designated Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center of Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Whatever your needs are before, during, and after your treatment, we are here to help you navigate through treatment and into survivorship. Contact us today to make an appointment with one of our experts.