The use of medication is possible to destroy cancer cells with the help of systemic therapy. The medication travels through the bloodstream to reach all cancer cells in the body and destroy them. Gynaecologic oncologists or medical oncologists are doctors who are authorized to prescribe systemic therapies for cervical cancer. The most common ways to provide systemic therapy is via an intravenous (IV) tube that goes inside a vein with the help of a needle. Apart from this, a pill can also be swallowed. There are three main types of systemic therapies, and a person may receive one or more of these three therapies at the same time.

1. Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the process of destroying cancer cells with the help of prescribed medicines. This is normally done by not allowing cancer cells to grow, divide, or create more cells. A specific number of cycles are given in a certain duration in a chemotherapy regime or schedule. A single drug or a combination of multiple drugs can be given to the patient at the same time. Usually, chemotherapy is complemented with radiation therapy in women who are undergoing cervical cancer treatment.

Drugs used to treat cervical cancer are given IV, although it is possible to give chemotherapy orally. Either IV chemotherapy is injected directly or a catheter is involved, which is a thin tube temporarily placed in a vein for easy passage of injections. Fatigue, risk of infection, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, and hair loss are some of the side effects of chemotherapy, which go away after the treatment. These side effects also depend from person to person.

2. Targeted therapy
This kind of treatment targets specific genes, proteins, or tissues that promote the growth of cancer tissues. The treatment attacks cancer cells, during which it specifically tries to leave out healthy cells in the process. All tumors do not have the same target, and the doctor finds the match with an option of the most effective treatment.

Cervical cancer may come back after treatment, which is known as recurrent cancer. It could also spread beyond the pelvis, and platinum-based chemotherapy in combination with targeted therapy bevacizumab (Avastin) can work the best. There are several other drugs that are approved to treat cervical cancer as well, and the drugs are known as biosimilars.

3. Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a type of treatment in which the body’s natural defence treatment is boosted in order to fight cancer. The immune system function is improved, targeted, or restored with the help of materials made within the body or in the laboratory. Certain kinds of cancer cells are killed by some kinds of medication, while others are treated by different medications. Different side effects can also be caused by different kinds of immunotherapy procedures, and these include skin reactions, diarrhoea, weight changes, and several symptoms similar to the flu. The patient must discuss with the doctor the different side effects and complications before taking up immunotherapy.