Why Give Wednesday: Gynecologic Oncology

Who is affected by gynecologic oncology?

All women are at risk for gynecologic cancers, and risk increases with age. Gynecologic malignancies are the fourth most common cancers among American women. Every year 80,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with gynecologic cancer. The five main types are cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, vaginal cancer, and vulvar cancer.

Why UAB?

        Each year, the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center treats more than 2,500 women battling these cancer diagnoses. The UAB Division of Gynecologic Oncology is a multidisciplinary team of specialty physicians, nurses, and consultants providing comprehensive, compassionate care in treating women’s cancers.

        “One of the many reasons why women should consider coming to UAB is that taking care of women with cancer is more than just being a good surgeon. We very much recognize that it is a team approach and that’s exactly the philosophy that UAB has,” Professor Warner Huh, M.D., a UAB gynecologic oncologist says. “We take care of our patients from the moment they are diagnosed, to doing their surgery, to even the administration of their chemo after surgery as well.” 

        UAB is nationally renowned for its care of patients with women’s cancers and is recognized as one of the leading gynecologic oncology research divisions in the world. UAB was one of just five institutions to be awarded a Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in ovarian cancer by the National Cancer Institute and currently is partnered with Johns Hopkins in a cervical cancer SPORE. Researchers at UAB were also instrumentally involved in the development and approval of Gardasil, the world’s first HPV vaccine.

         "UAB is one of the biggest biomedical institutions in the world. We have clinical trials that no one else has; not only in the state of Alabama, but within the region as well as the entire U.S. The aggregative care the patients receive at UAB is truly unique and truly focused on finding the best possible care for the individual woman,” Dr. Huh says.

 What is your next move?

• Get Screened- When gynecologic cancers are found early treatment works best. Screening and self-examinations conducted regularly can result in the detection of certain types of gynecologic cancers in their earlier stages, when treatment is more likely to be successful and a complete cure is a possibility.

• Change Your Lifestyle - Diet, exercise and lifestyle choices play a significant role in the prevention of cancer. 

• Do Your Research- Additionally, knowledge of family history can increase the chance of prevention or early diagnosis by determining if someone may have a gene which makes them susceptible to cancer.

• Make a Donation - We utilize state-of-the-art technology to screen for and treat all types of gynecologic cancers, and our research team is dedicated to improving treatments, and, ultimately, finding a cure for these cancers. Your specific donation toward the gynecologic cancer of your choice will help make breakthrough discoveries and help our physicians provide personalized, passionate care to the women affected by this disease.

All donations are welcome and can be given through our website.