Gynecologic Oncology Center of Excellence

Treating gynecologic conditions and cancer

At AHN, you receive a fast, accurate diagnosis and a quick start to treatment. Your options may include novel therapies only available in clinical trials. We’re known for our expertise in diagnosing and treating:

• Uterine cancer: This cancer begins in the uterus, most commonly in the lining (endometrial cancer), often presenting with abnormal vaginal bleeding. It is one of the most common gynecologic cancers, and early detection often leads to successful treatment. Learn more about uterine cancer.
• Ovarian cancer: Originating in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or peritoneum, ovarian cancer is often diagnosed at advanced stages due to vague symptoms, making early detection challenging. Treatment typically involves surgery and chemotherapy. Learn more about ovarian cancer.
• Cervical cancer: This cancer develops in the cervix, the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina, and is most often caused by persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. It is highly preventable with HPV vaccination and regular screening tests like Pap smears. Learn more about cervical cancer.
• Vaginal cancer: A rare cancer that forms in the tissues of the vagina, it can be primary (starting in the vagina) or secondary (spreading from another area). Symptoms may include abnormal bleeding or discharge, and treatment often involves radiation, surgery, or chemotherapy. Learn more about vaginal cancer.
• Vulvar cancer: This cancer develops on the outer surface of the female genitalia (vulva), often presenting as a lump, sore, or itching. It is typically a slow-growing cancer, and early detection and treatment, often involving surgery, improve outcomes. Learn more about vulvar cancer.
• Pre-invasive disease of the cervix, vagina, vulva: This refers to abnormal cell changes on the surface of the cervix, vagina, or vulva that are not yet cancerous but have the potential to become cancer if left untreated. These conditions are often detected through routine screenings and can be managed with minor procedures.
• Gestational trophoblastic disease: This is a rare group of conditions where abnormal cells grow in the uterus from tissue that would normally form the placenta after conception. While most GTD is benign, some forms, known as gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN), are malignant and require aggressive treatment. Learn more about the cancerous GTN.
• Surgical management of high-risk cancer conditions including germline genetic mutations: This involves prophylactic (preventive) or risk-reducing surgeries for individuals with inherited genetic mutations (like BRCA1/2) that significantly increase their lifetime risk of developing certain gynecologic cancers. These surgeries aim to remove at-risk organs before cancer can develop or be detected.
• Benign gynecologic conditions requiring complex surgery: These are noncancerous conditions affecting the female reproductive organs that may cause severe symptoms or pose significant health risks, necessitating advanced surgical intervention. Examples include large fibroids, severe endometriosis, or complex pelvic masses that are not malignant but require expert surgical removal.

Fertility preservation

The cancer treatments that can remove or reduce the presence of cancer in your body can also, unfortunately, cause fertility issues or make it impossible to conceive a child. At AHN, our Center for Reproductive Medicine is at the forefront of treatments and options that help people become parents. That may mean freezing (cryopreservation) and storing unfertilized eggs or fertilized embryos for later use or working with our team to determine what will give you the best odds at becoming a parent. The team of fertility treatment specialists and high-risk pregnancy doctors are highly skilled and compassionate, understanding the emotional process of fertility preservation.

Cancer treatments

The cancer treatments available at AHN include technologically advanced options that target your cancer. These treatments are tailored to your specific needs, and your AHN care team works to support your whole health throughout your treatment. Our work never stops. Through continuous research and development, we are constantly working to improve care. Our teams relentlessly pursue new and upcoming options through clinical trials, and when they show positive outcomes, we make them available to our qualified patients.

Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC)

CRS involves surgically removing all visible tumors and cancerous tissue from the abdominal cavity. The goal is to remove as much of the cancer as possible, and can include removing multiple organs. This can be a lengthy and complex surgery, often lasting many hours. Your AHN surgeon and care team are highly skilled and experienced in this procedure and understand the risks, complications, and emotions involved with this treatment option. They will be with you throughout your surgery, treatment, and recovery to help you achieve your best outcome.

In many cases, after the completion of cytoreductive surgery, a heated (hyperthermic) chemotherapy solution is circulated throughout the abdominal cavity for approximately 60 – 90 minutes. HIPEC is used to target the microscopic cells that cannot be surgically removed. The heat helps the chemotherapy drugs penetrate the remaining cancer cells more effectively and can also directly kill cancer cells. The chemotherapy drugs used are chosen based on the type of cancer being treated. After the HIPEC treatment, the chemotherapy solution is drained and the abdomen is closed.

Innovative surgical treatment

We have expertise in traditional open abdominal surgery as well as minimally invasive surgical techniques and robotic surgeries that can treat a number of reproductive cancers including:

• Uterine cancer: Surgery may include a hysterectomy, which is the removal of the uterus (the organ where a baby grows), the cervix (the lower part of the uterus), the ovaries (which produce eggs and hormones), and the fallopian tubes (which carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus). We may also remove nearby lymph nodes (small glands that are part of your immune system) to check if the cancer has spread.
• Ovarian cancer: Similar to uterine cancer, a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus, cervix, ovaries, and fallopian tubes) is often performed. We will also perform staging, which means carefully examining the area to understand how far the cancer has spread. This may involve removing lymph nodes and the omentum (a fatty tissue covering abdominal organs). Our goal is to achieve surgical debulking, meaning we remove all visible cancer. To do this, we may need to remove parts of other organs like the bowel, appendix, or spleen if the cancer has spread to those areas.
• Cervical cancer: This typically involves a radical hysterectomy, which is a more extensive procedure than a standard hysterectomy. It includes removing the uterus, cervix, and some of the tissue surrounding the cervix. We also often remove nearby lymph nodes to check for cancer spread.
• Vulvar cancer: For vulvar cancer, surgery is performed to remove the cancerous tumor and a small amount of healthy tissue around it, to ensure all cancer cells are removed.
• Gestational trophoblostic disease: GTD is a rare condition where abnormal cells grow in the uterus after conception. Surgery helps remove these abnormal cells. The primary treatment is usually a uterine evacuation (also known as a D&C), which is a procedure to remove the abnormal tissue from the uterus. In some cases, a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) may be recommended if the disease is more aggressive or persistent.

Intravenous and oral medication for chemotherapy

We have an expert team of physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists with robust experience in diverse, complex, and emerging chemotherapeutic regimens. Chemotherapy is a powerful drug treatment that uses chemicals to slow or stop the growth of cancer cells in your body. Chemotherapy can be used to treat diverse types of cancer and can be used in combination with other treatments, like surgery and radiation therapy. There are several types of chemotherapy drugs available. Depending on the unique features of your cancer, your doctor will make a tailored recommendation for treatment — which may include standard chemotherapy regimens, targeted treatment, novel therapies, or enrollment in a clinical trial.

The AHN Cancer Institute is one of the few centers in the country treating patients with advanced abdominal cancers using an innovative treatment called hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). This groundbreaking therapy helps to prevent new cancer growth with strong doses of heated chemotherapy, circulated directly in the abdomen after your surgeon removes any visible cancer. HIPEC can cause fewer side effects than intravenous chemotherapy because it is a localized therapy. This approach kills microscopic cells left behind after surgery.

Hormonal therapy

Hormonal therapy is also called endocrine therapy. It’s a type of cancer treatment that can stop the body from producing specific hormones and slow or stop the growth of endocrine-sensitive cancer cells. It also helps ease symptoms of some types of cancer and cancer treatments. Your treating oncology provider may recommend endocrine-based therapy::

• For recurrent cancer (cancer that returns)
• For cancer that spreads (metastatic) or advanced cancer stages
• Before surgery to help kill any cancer cells that have spread or reduce the size of a tumor. This is called neoadjuvant therapy.
• After other cancer treatments to help destroy any remaining cancer. This is called adjuvant therapy.

Biological therapy

Biological therapies either stimulate or suppress your immune system to help your body get rid of the cancer. These substances may already exist inside your body or may be made in the laboratory. AHN is using the groundbreaking TIL cell therapy in certain patients. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy uses the patient's own tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (white blood cells) to fight cancer. TIL cell therapy has, so far, shown its effectiveness in treating solid tumors.

Targeted therapy

Targeted therapy targets the proteins that control how cancer cells grow, multiply, and spread. Depending on the type of cancer you have, your treating oncology provider may recommend one of these common types of targeted therapies:

• Small-molecule drugs: These drugs are small enough to enter the cells and target proteins inside them.
• Monoclonal antibodies: These are proteins designed in a lab to attach to specific targets found on cancer cells. Some monoclonal antibodies tag cancer cells so the immune system can better see and kill them. Other monoclonal antibodies can help prevent cancer cells from growing or cause them to self-destruct. Some antibodies are used to carry toxins to cancer cells.

Support for cancer patients

As an AHN Cancer Institute patient, you'll receive comprehensive and holistic care focused on the treatment of your cancer. We also provide support services for your mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Once you have a diagnosis, you'll meet with a team of cancer specialists — which will include a medical oncologist, nurse navigator, and support professionals — to begin discussing your treatment options. Some of the additional support services you have access to include:

• Oncology rehabilitation and exercise programs to help you build your strength and keep you active.
• Our Integrative Oncology Program provides services and programs to help educate, empower and support you throughout your cancer journey, and beyond.
• Nutrition counseling to maintain your appetite and ensure you're getting the nutrients your body needs during cancer treatment.
• A behavioral health specialist to help you work through anxiety, depression, body image, or intimacy issues you may be facing.

Gynecologic cancer specialists

A cancer diagnosis requires a team of specialists who not only provide expert care, but who will also meet you with compassion and understanding. The team of AHN gynecologic cancer specialists is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of their patients by delivering care that is tailored to each patient’s unique needs. One of the most significant differences with a gynecological oncologist is that this provider will be with you through your entire treatment course..

Chair

Leadership 

Gynecological oncologists

Clinical trials

Current active gynecologic cancer clinical trials.

Medical oncologist

Use Find Care for a list of medical oncologists.

Radiation oncologists

Use Find Care for a list of radiologists.

Use Find Care for a list of radiation oncologists.

Pathology

Use Find Care for a list of pathologists.

Nurse Navigators

Your Navigation Team works with you and your loved ones to help you manage your care and time. From explaining your treatment, to scheduling appointments, to keeping you informed, to coordinating your continued care from home, the cancer Navigation Team will be there, from the beginning, to support you through every stage of your journey.

• Amy Schultz, RN, Nurse Navigator
• Caitlin Bacik, RN, Nurse Navigator

How to get care

If you have recently been diagnosed or have questions about cancer treatment options, schedule an appointment with an OBGYN and learn your next steps:

• Call Obstetrics & Gynecology at 412-578-1116 for an appointment.
• Call the cancer Hope Line at 412-578-HOPE 412-578-4673 or request a call to connect with a Cancer Institute Nurse Navigator.
• Schedule an appointment online.

Schedule a screening

AHN holds weekly and monthly cancer screening clinics throughout western Pennsylvania. We screen for seven different types of cancer, including cervical.

Our locations

Clinical trials and research

In collaboration with the AHN Research Institute, we have a robust clinical trial portfolio. We rank in the top-40 programs nationally for Gynecologic Oncology Group and NRG Oncology clinical trial enrollment. Members of our clinical team are intimately involved in clinical trial and drug development. They are also involved in national/international clinical trial steering committees.

Patients are screened for consideration with ongoing clinical trials at every stage of their treatment. Clinical trials offered span the breadth of gynecological oncology (surgical and chemotherapy; uterine, ovarian, cervical cancer; primary diagnosis and recurrent disease). We are actively investigating ways to develop new surgical technologies, as well as ways to use minimally invasive surgical procedures. Additionally, we are exploring ways to offer patients innovative treatments for their specific cancer, including antibody drug conjugates and the latest immunotherapy treatments.

What is a clinical trial?

Clinical trials are studies that try to answer questions about new ways to treat cancer with medications, radiation, or surgical techniques. Previous trials have shown how new methods of treatment improve survival and quality of life and reduce the risk of cancer returning.

You participate in a clinical trial only if you volunteer to do so and meet criteria for inclusion in the study, and you can stop participating in a trial at any time.

Who can join a clinical trial?

The plan for the trial, called a protocol, explains what the trial will do and how the study will be done. Based on the questions the research is trying to answer, each clinical trial protocol outlines specific criteria necessary to be eligible to join the trial.

Common criteria for entering a trial are:

• Having a certain type or stage of cancer.
• Having received a certain kind of therapy in the past.
• Being in a certain age group.
• Federal rules help ensure that clinical trials are run in an ethical manner, with your rights and safety protected. It’s to ensure that you’re not put at increased risk by participating in the trial, and that the results of the study are accurate and meaningful.

Currently active gynecologic cancer clinical trials

If you would like to participate in a clinical trial and help our innovative team discover groundbreaking cancer solutions, ask your doctor if you’re eligible to participate in one. Find gynecologic cancer clinical trials currently open for participation.

Refer your patient to an AHN specialist

There are two ways for medical professionals, who are not a part of Allegheny Health Network, to refer their patients to an AHN specialist and request their first appointment. You can:

1. Call 412-578-HOPE 412-578-4673 to speak with an AHN Cancer Institute scheduling coordinator.
2. Go to Find Care to find the right AHN specialist and the most convenient location. Then refer your patient, provide relevant patient details, and request an appointment directly from the doctor's profile. 

For more information about referring your patient to an AHN specialist, read the Independent Physician Referral FAQs.