Diagnosed on March 12

Sheila66
Sheila66 Member Posts: 4
edited March 2014 in Uterine/Endometrial Cancer #1
I was recently diagnosed with "adenocarcinoma, endometroid type, well-differentiated with papillary features". The path report also said "almost all biopsy fragments available for examination show involvement by well differentiated adenocarcinoma. Much of this neoplasm has papillary features." I'm 43 years old. My mother also used DES while carrying me. I've always had regular periods and have no history of gynecological problems. I went to the doctor for constant, heavy bleeding and severe pain. I had an abnormal pap smear and then a biopsy. I still have so much pain. I've not had my hysterectomy yet. I'm wondering what any of you can tell me about the lingo in the path report -- and anything else you might want to add. This is all new to me. I'm shocked to get this diagnosis in the first place. How fast does it spread? My doctor called it a slow-growing type. I've not seen an oncologist yet. I just know I'll be getting a complete hysterectomy and a lymph node biopsy when all of the financial stuff is in place. Is there any chance that the cancer is also located elsewhere and then spread to the endometrium? Thanks for anything you can tell me.
Sheila

Comments

  • Songflower
    Songflower Member Posts: 608
    #2
    Hang in there
    We are a group of women with uterine cancer and are here to share and help you as much as we can. I am sorry you are going through this.

    I don't think anyone can tell you what treatment you will need until you have a complete hysterectomy and lymph node disection. After that you will be staged and they can plan treatment. Most of us are in treatment or completed. They are many good treatments now and waiting is the hardest part. I often find waiting for test results are the hardest; I use denial during this time; what good is it to worry until you know? You will feel better when a plan is in place.

    Be sure you get a CA 125 and perhaps a CT and PET/CT scan. Write your questions down and bring them to the Doctors office with you. My girl friends mother had DES and she had cancer and has done very well. She is over two years out and everything looks great. She had agressive treatment.

    Sending you a big hug. We know all the feelings and fears you are experiencing. You are not alone.

    Diane
  • TiggersDoBounce
    TiggersDoBounce Member Posts: 408
    #3
    Songflower said:

    Hang in there
    We are a group of women with uterine cancer and are here to share and help you as much as we can. I am sorry you are going through this.

    I don't think anyone can tell you what treatment you will need until you have a complete hysterectomy and lymph node disection. After that you will be staged and they can plan treatment. Most of us are in treatment or completed. They are many good treatments now and waiting is the hardest part. I often find waiting for test results are the hardest; I use denial during this time; what good is it to worry until you know? You will feel better when a plan is in place.

    Be sure you get a CA 125 and perhaps a CT and PET/CT scan. Write your questions down and bring them to the Doctors office with you. My girl friends mother had DES and she had cancer and has done very well. She is over two years out and everything looks great. She had agressive treatment.

    Sending you a big hug. We know all the feelings and fears you are experiencing. You are not alone.

    Diane

    Sheila
    My Mom also took DES and here I am...although I was not diagnosed with the type of Uterine Cancer related to DES, it makes me wonder...

    Hang in, we are here to support...

    Laurie
  • lindaprocopio
    lindaprocopio Member Posts: 1,980 Member
    #4
    TiggersDoBounce said:

    Sheila
    My Mom also took DES and here I am...although I was not diagnosed with the type of Uterine Cancer related to DES, it makes me wonder...

    Hang in, we are here to support...

    Laurie

    The 'well-differentiated' sounds very promising.
    The most important part of your post-hysterectomy pathology report will be the GRADE of your cancer. They usually can't tell you the GRADE of your cancer until they have the tissue from your hysterctomy surgery, and certainly can't tell you the STAGE of your cancer until then. Grade 1 is the best grade to have; grade 3 (and in some countries that use a scale that also has a Grade 4) are the worst grades of cancer to have. The higher grade more aggressive and recurrent cancer (i.e. most deadly) are the poorly differentiated cancers like papillary serous and clear cell; and grade 3 endometrial carcinomas are also poorly differentiated. So you can take some comfort that your path report states that your cancer cells are well-differentiated. Sounds like you have the most curable kind of uterine cancer! (((hugs!!!)))

    The word 'papillary' worries me a little, but I think that just describes how it LOOKS on the lab slide (kind of like a flower stalk growing upward instead of flatly across the surface.) So in a diagnosis of 'papillary serous', I think 'papillary' describes the shape the cancer is forming, and 'serous' would be the type of cancer cell. If your path report said 'serous' after that, then I wouldn't be as optimistic for you as I feel reading what you shared. And I know that sometimes ONLY the word 'serous' is used when describing the scary Grade 3 cancer some of us have (UPSC). And they didn't use that word. I think you can be very hopeful that you ave a low grade cancer that will be curable!

    There's a whole new vocabulary to learn once you get cancer! We all try and get the collective wisdom of the women here when we get out path reports, trying to decifer what they really say. (((Hugs)))
  • MoeKay
    MoeKay Member Posts: 493 Member
    #5
    lindaprocopio said:

    The 'well-differentiated' sounds very promising.
    The most important part of your post-hysterectomy pathology report will be the GRADE of your cancer. They usually can't tell you the GRADE of your cancer until they have the tissue from your hysterctomy surgery, and certainly can't tell you the STAGE of your cancer until then. Grade 1 is the best grade to have; grade 3 (and in some countries that use a scale that also has a Grade 4) are the worst grades of cancer to have. The higher grade more aggressive and recurrent cancer (i.e. most deadly) are the poorly differentiated cancers like papillary serous and clear cell; and grade 3 endometrial carcinomas are also poorly differentiated. So you can take some comfort that your path report states that your cancer cells are well-differentiated. Sounds like you have the most curable kind of uterine cancer! (((hugs!!!)))

    The word 'papillary' worries me a little, but I think that just describes how it LOOKS on the lab slide (kind of like a flower stalk growing upward instead of flatly across the surface.) So in a diagnosis of 'papillary serous', I think 'papillary' describes the shape the cancer is forming, and 'serous' would be the type of cancer cell. If your path report said 'serous' after that, then I wouldn't be as optimistic for you as I feel reading what you shared. And I know that sometimes ONLY the word 'serous' is used when describing the scary Grade 3 cancer some of us have (UPSC). And they didn't use that word. I think you can be very hopeful that you ave a low grade cancer that will be curable!

    There's a whole new vocabulary to learn once you get cancer! We all try and get the collective wisdom of the women here when we get out path reports, trying to decifer what they really say. (((Hugs)))

    Well-differentiated with papillary features
    I found an abstract that discusses the two types of papillary endometrial cancer (EC): "well-differentiated with papillary features," and uterine papillary serous cancer (UPSC).

    Here is a link to the abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1409074

    The abstract states in part that well differentiated adenocarcinoma with papillary features is usually seen in the context of a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, in a group of patients known to have estrogen-related less aggressive tumors.

    So this sounds to me to be good news, indicative of a less aggressive tumor type than UPSC would be.

    Best of luck to you.

    MoeKay

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