Doesn't want to use word "remission"

I finished treatment for cervical cancer Jan 22. of this year. I had a PET on tuesday and got a call from my onc. nurse she says there is no evidence of cancer found in my right and left pelvic lymphnodes (which is where it had spread) or in my cervix. But she says she doesn't want to say that I'm in remission because I just finished treatment. What the heck does this exactly mean?
Also she says that the "spots" on my lungs haven't changed..........WHAT ?!!!?
She says "oh nobody said anything to you?" umm...NO
Apparently back in August when I had my first PET there were spots found on my lungs smaller than a cm. There has been no change in them and my Dr is not worried about it.
I'm waiting for my surgeon onc. to call me to see what he has to say as far as the results go.

Comments

  • beckyracn
    beckyracn Member Posts: 322
    LoveMyBabies,
    First,

    LoveMyBabies,
    First, congrats on finishing your treatments. I don't understand why they don't want to declare you 'in remission' unless is has to do with the lung masses. If you go to the lung cancer board, you will read many entries where the docs just watch masses under a certain size. So, this may be the reason?
    I didn't have my first PET until 3 months s/p treatments and was declared in remission at that time. Since, the docs have used my end of treatment date to state I was in remission. It all gets very confusing and I never seem to get the same answer from all my docs. I recently requested cd's of all my scans from the beginning of this mess until present. This was helpful, but confused me even more. One report states that 'evidence of hysterectomy'...NOT. Another states no ovaries seen, the next says ovaries present. Almost all report large masses of abdominal/pelvic fluid. None of them show any mets, but the original CT didn't pick up the lymph node involvement. It wasn't until surgery that that showed up. The only thng that is consistant is a large 'glowing' mass in my pelvic in all of them. I asked my obgyn yesterday if that was due to the radiation and he said he wasn't sure. So...I will asked my oncologist this same question in a few weeks and see what he says. This all gets very frustrating, never getting the same answer twice! I hope you can get to the bottom of your dilema with you questions. Good luck!