How long does it take for the npc tumor to totally shrink after treatment

edbravo

Hi everone, i have npc and completed all my treatments about 8 weeks now and had my first follow up today. The tumour have gotten smaller by half and i am wondering if this is normal and how long does the treatment takes to work and totally clear the tumour. Can anyone please advise me. Thank you.

debbiejeanne

my cancer was different so

my cancer was different so can't help but wanted to say I'm praying that the tx got rid of the tumor and that your first and all scans are NED!!

God bless you,

dj

edbravo

debbiejeanne said:

my cancer was different so

my cancer was different so can't help but wanted to say I'm praying that the tx got rid of the tumor and that your first and all scans are NED!!

God bless you,

dj

Thanks debbie for your reply.

Thanks debbie for your reply. My doctor was happy with the ct scan result. I was informed that there is improvement and there is no progressive disease. What does this actually mean when only 50% of the tumour had shrunk? Shoul i be expecting the tumour to further shrink in the next couple of months and is this normal?

corleone

I also had NPC

There are actually a few other NPC survivors on this forum, with different experiences.

I had concurrent radiation and chemo followed by chemo alone (see details by clicking on my avatar).

Each individual responds very differently, so take this just to give you an idea.

In my case cisplatin chemo was extremely efficient. The second day (literally) after my first chemo session, my biggest lymph node, located on the right side of the neck (very easy to palpate and feel, as it was relatively superficial) shrank by around 30% (give or take), and became much softer. By the second chemo session (3 weeks later) it decreased even more, by another 1/3. The 3rd concurrent chemo was never administered because of the side effects (in my case, hearing loss). By the end of the concurrent chemo and radiation, I couldn’t feel any lymph nodes. I couldn’t measure the efficacy of the post radiation chemo, as there was no node to palpate. 

I am 1 year 6 month post last treatment, and still no evidence of disease.

If you ask my radiation oncologist, he would swear by radiation, as the most efficient. My medical oncologist would say the chemo.

 

Edit: Before I started the treatment I was told that the tumor might not be gone by the end of radiation, but will continue to shrink for months. If after all this time any residual tumor left, I should consider surgery. Obviously in my case this was not necessary. 

phrannie51

It's so hard to say

what is "normal" for NPC.  I'm sure the original size of the tumor would play a part in how much it has shrunk at any given time.  My NPC tumor was half gone by the time I was 3 weeks into radiation.  When it actually disappeared, nobody told me.  The lymph node was gone totally in about a month after the start of rads.....

p

edbravo

phrannie51 said:

It's so hard to say

what is "normal" for NPC.  I'm sure the original size of the tumor would play a part in how much it has shrunk at any given time.  My NPC tumor was half gone by the time I was 3 weeks into radiation.  When it actually disappeared, nobody told me.  The lymph node was gone totally in about a month after the start of rads.....

p

Thanks for the respond. After

Thanks for the respond. After doing some research on the internet it takes several weeks or months for the cancer to start showing signs of dying and shrinking. So i guess more time is required for the radiation treament to fully work. Anyhow, is this a good sign for my first follow up with 50% reduction in size?? My next follow up is in 4 months.

 

Hondo

NPC

 

Hard to say because we are all different, but remember even after you are finish treatment it is still working in your body for many many months afterward. I am about 10 years passed my last treatment for NPC and my ENT checks me about every 3 to 6 months. The old dead tumor is still there in my nasal so when she checks she is checking to make sure nothing new is starting. You will need to do a PET every 6 months for the first few years, but be careful because the old dead tumor can still light up the PET scan, because it is just that old Dead cancer cells.

Tim Hondo   

edbravo

Hondo said:

NPC

 

Hard to say because we are all different, but remember even after you are finish treatment it is still working in your body for many many months afterward. I am about 10 years passed my last treatment for NPC and my ENT checks me about every 3 to 6 months. The old dead tumor is still there in my nasal so when she checks she is checking to make sure nothing new is starting. You will need to do a PET every 6 months for the first few years, but be careful because the old dead tumor can still light up the PET scan, because it is just that old Dead cancer cells.

Tim Hondo   

Thank you honda for your

Thank you honda for your feedback. I am just confused because i had two scopes endosope done by two different ENT doctors and both confirmed that the main npc cancer tumor behind the nose is gone, and my family and i even saw it was clear, however the CT scan report states that the tumor is still there but have gotten smaller. How could this be possible? Any clue anyone? Would appreciate your views. Thanks.

corleone

edbravo said:

Thank you honda for your

Thank you honda for your feedback. I am just confused because i had two scopes endosope done by two different ENT doctors and both confirmed that the main npc cancer tumor behind the nose is gone, and my family and i even saw it was clear, however the CT scan report states that the tumor is still there but have gotten smaller. How could this be possible? Any clue anyone? Would appreciate your views. Thanks.

The imagistic used is not

The imagistic used is not very reliable, if done shortly after the treatment, it shows a lot of false positives (caused by inflammation). I would trust the scopes, and after a couple of moths pass repeat the CT/MRI/PET whatever that center is recommending.