Radiation

cancer survivor x 4 said:

Radiation
Good Morning,
I have never known anyone to have radiation for ovarian cancer. That does not mean no one has. I just do not know anyone. I have had radiation on both of my breasts. I had no side effects at all. Just alittle sunburn like symptoms. I had 35 treatments, everyday for 7 weeks. I would wait and see if the chemo does it's job. Just for inspiration, I will be NED for 1 year, in 6 days. Thank-You, Paula

nhgibby said:

29 yrs of survival stage IIIa ovarian cancer and had radiation!
Hi,
I read your postings and actually signed up for this website just in order to respond to your query about radiation treatment for ovarian cancer. I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 35 and I had 3 BIG tumors and metastasis to peritoneal cavity. I am now 64 1/2 yrs old! I had most aggressive chemo (my choice) following surgery - every 4 wks for six months I checked into hospital at 9am on fri and stayed overnight until 4pm saturday while they gave me cisplatin, cytoxan, decadron and other stuff to manaqe effects from those poisons. They had to flush me with saline for 15 hours before starting chemo drip just to clear my kidneys for the onslaught of the cisplatin, which is awful for the kidneys.
Yes, I was sick as a dog - puked every minute - no exaggeration - from midnight until 7am despite massive doses of sedatives. A few wks later I heard about Reglan helping chemo nausea (you learn a lot from support group comrades) and we tried it and it reduced puking to once every 20 minutes, which was a huge relief!

2nd look laparascopy showed I still had microscopic disease in my peritoneal cavity. NCI turned me down for further chemo trials cause I had received maximum strength chemo and was unlikely to benefit from more chemo. They wrote my oncologist that radiation was "this patient's only chance for long term remission". You are right, nowadays, radiation is rarely given (in the United States) to ovarian cancer patients. I got mine from a radiation oncologist who retired from Harvard not long ago, but was at Stanford U med ctr at the time. He radiated me daily, front one day, back the next, entire torso, mon-fri for six weeks. It was extremely weakening - I lost weight and worked hard at drinking ensure and making protein shakes and eating avocado sandwiches, fattening healthy organic food and I had to lie down and rest a lot. I was radiated from solar plexis down to tops of thighs and entire back, butt included. The idea was to radiate ahead of where the cancer cells were heading - they moved up from pelvic area to abdomen and on up to lungs and chest area so he tried to beat them at the pass, so to speak. When the radiation was completed, my strength returned and it was dramatically obvious - each day was a bit better until a few months later I was strong enough to return to work. I could not get a third surgical look because they told me there was no point since if they found the cancer cells remained, there was nothing more to do for me. I had received maximum allowed radiation and chemo. So, I just went for checkups - a pelvic is all - every month and eventually every few months. That was 29 yrs ago! I am considered a miracle. Radiation is rarely if ever given nowadays in the U.S. for ovarian cancer and I have worked in gyn oncology and felt frustrated because chemo is much favored over radiation (drug lobby and rewards very powerful influence). I also practiced visualization, took enormous doses of vitamins, used self-hypnosis to raise blood counts during radiation (as suggested by radiation tech - so I asked a psychiatrist to teach me how - it took only one visit). Yes, that works to raise blood counts!!!!! I only ate organic foods, also used compazine suppositories for nausea from radiation for quick relief. I also smoked pot and was given REAL medical marijuana capsules by the oncology dept pharmacist (NOT marinol, which is an ineffective synthetic form)to swallow and yes, that helped me eat and have an upbeat attitude.

My life expectancy was 30% chance to live 5 yrs and my goal was to live to age 40. My kids were 8 and 10. Now, I am a grandmother!!!! And my own maternal grandmother and greatgrandmother died of ovarian cancer - my sisters have had oophorectomies since they tested positive for BRCA1 gene. No one in our family has ever had breast cancer.

I have heard canada sometimes gives radiation, and so does europe, for ovarian cancer.

Love,
Grandmom in NH