For immediate release: July 30, 2007 GALVESTON, Texas - Younger women diagnosed with early-stage cervical cancer have traditionally faced a single treatment option - radical hysterectomy - with loss of fertility as a consequence. However, physicians at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston are providing an alternative treatment that preserves fertility for women who still want children. The innovative procedure, called radical trachelectomy, removes the cervix, but preserves the uterus. Dr. Concepcion Diaz-Arrastia, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, has performed four of these complex surgeries since 2004. UTMB is one of the few institutions in the United States to offer radical trachelectomy. Diaz-Arrastia is hopeful that the procedure will become more common. "Globally, as more women are delaying childbearing, there will be an increased need for this procedure," Diaz-Arrastia said. She stresses the importance of teaching the technique to other physicians. "Because we have a fellowship here in gynecological oncology, we're able to teach our fellows how to perform the procedure. They will then go off to other institutions, taking this valuable knowledge with them." The procedure does not compromise the cure rate for cervical cancer, and the chances of reproduction are encouraging. A 2004 study in Gynecologic Oncology reported 50 pregnancies among 72 patients who underwent radical trachelectomy between 1991 and 2003. The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston Public Affairs Office 301 University Boulevard, Suite 3.102 Galveston, Texas 77555-0144 www.utmb.edu