NY Methodist’s gynecologic oncologists help women fight cancer
Gynecologic oncology is the field of medicine that focuses on the treatment and management of cancers that exclusively impact women. There are roughly 1,000 practicing gynecologic oncologists in the United States, all of whom have received at least three years of post-residency training to specialize in their field.
“All types of gynecologic cancer—which include endometrial, cervical, ovarian, cervical, vaginal, and fallopian tube cancer—have seen considerable advances in available treatments, and working with a gynecologic oncologist improves patients’ chances for a cure or increased length of survival with better quality of life,” said Katherine Economos, M.D., NY Methodist Hospital’s (NYM) director of gynecologic oncology. “Reaping those benefits still requires quick action once the symptoms are recognized, receiving the optimal treatment, and having the necessary follow-up therapy, to give a woman the best chance of eliminating the cancer.”
The three most common gynecologic cancers involve endometrial, cervical and ovarian malignancies, which account for 90 percent of all gynecologic cancer cases. The surgical procedure for each of these conditions usually involves hysterectomy—the complete removal of the uterus—as well as the reproductive organ in which the cancer originated.