Radiation

sanam

Hello everybody

My Mom's surgeon asked for radiation therapy in her pelvic area.
she is already on Gemzar/Campto after her surgery which was 1 month ago.
Do you have any experience with radiaition?
what are the side effects?How many sessions it might be? How effective it is and so on.
Thanks

Unknown

This comment has been removed by the Moderator

cancer survivor x 4

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

sanam

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

Thanks Paula.
thanks world
Thanks Paula.
thanks world traveler.
Ok!again It seems like some thing new for Iran like her unique chemo regimen!
I have to wait till Monday to understand what is going on.

Cindy Bear

try other board
Hello Sanam: Just a suggestion, you might want to pop over to the uterine cancer board and search there. I know your mother has ovarian cancer but it seems like an awful lot of the UC ladies have had some radiation. I am sure you will find a wealth of information. Good luck!

Lisa 00

I had radiation
I had 27 or so external radiation treatments. I went every day for over 5 weeks. You just walk in, drop your pants and lay on the treatment table while the machine goes around you and zaps you about 15 times or so. Painless for sure!
Side effects for me were constant real low grade nautious feeling starting at about the 3rd week in. Also constant diarrhea. I learned to take immodium when I got up in the morning and it worked well for me, keeping any "emergencies" under control. Eventually my bowels recovered.
I also had what felt like a UTI for about 2 weeks just after the radiation was over. They tested me and it wasn't a UTI, just tissue irritation, and it went away as well.
Luckily no lasting side effects for me.
I swear my belly button is now smaller....

sanam

Lisa 00 said:

I had radiation
I had 27 or so external radiation treatments. I went every day for over 5 weeks. You just walk in, drop your pants and lay on the treatment table while the machine goes around you and zaps you about 15 times or so. Painless for sure!
Side effects for me were constant real low grade nautious feeling starting at about the 3rd week in. Also constant diarrhea. I learned to take immodium when I got up in the morning and it worked well for me, keeping any "emergencies" under control. Eventually my bowels recovered.
I also had what felt like a UTI for about 2 weeks just after the radiation was over. They tested me and it wasn't a UTI, just tissue irritation, and it went away as well.
Luckily no lasting side effects for me.
I swear my belly button is now smaller....

Dear Lisa
Thank you very
Dear Lisa
Thank you very much for your detailed reply.
Wish you the best and hugssss

nhgibby

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

msfanciful

Hello,
I having stage IV
Hello,

I having stage IV ovarian cancer; when I posed the question of utilizing radiation therapy during one of my many possible options to eradicate the cancer; was told that generally radiation is not used as it is not very effective for our type of cancer. (My understanding from my gynecological/oncologist/surgeon) is that they are seeking to attack our cancer more systemically than "spot treating" with radiation.

There are cases but not many, however; for your mothers' type of cancer they seem to utilize radiation more for good reason maybe? I'm just not familiar with the procedure used uterine cancer?

Hope I've helped some.

Sharon

sanam

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

Inspiration
Dear Grandmom in NH

I thank you for signing up and replying me.From the day that I joined to this board I am feeling much better.in the last 6 months I felt like a lost person in an island and finally I found a way to find myself.
I hope the radiation works for my Mom as it did for you.I have been a lazy daughter and she is not a grandma yet! but I promise as soon as we pass the chemo and radiation I will make her a grandma!
Actually it is what I dream of.
What you wrote me and your story means alot to me .I wish you stay with us in this board as you can inspire everybody here with you survivorship.
Love you,
Sanam

sanam

msfanciful said:

Hello,
I having stage IV
Hello,

I having stage IV ovarian cancer; when I posed the question of utilizing radiation therapy during one of my many possible options to eradicate the cancer; was told that generally radiation is not used as it is not very effective for our type of cancer. (My understanding from my gynecological/oncologist/surgeon) is that they are seeking to attack our cancer more systemically than "spot treating" with radiation.

There are cases but not many, however; for your mothers' type of cancer they seem to utilize radiation more for good reason maybe? I'm just not familiar with the procedure used uterine cancer?

Hope I've helped some.

Sharon

Dear sharon
Thanks for your
Dear sharon
Thanks for your reply.
It seemed to me while talking to the surgon that he is sure that in her pelvic area there are microscopic cells.Her debulking was optimal.Only the surgon saw what was going on inside and he wrote a letter to her oncologist.On Monday we will share it with him and I will share his perspective wih you.
Thanks