Grade 3 not 2 as originally thought and LVI noted on report

ayostacey

Hello ladies, my sister just sent me her path reports becuase I keep asking her quetions that she really didnt have the asnwers to. Her Dr originally had said it was grade 2 when we were at her appointment pre surgery. But since her CT scan came back with mets 4 months after surgery, Im trying to know more about her cancer and why its possible it came back so fast and undected until it was already pretty bad. I looked at her path report and it said Grade 3 with LVI. It was only into the wall less than 20 %. Her original follow up wasnt with him until OCT which wouldve been 6 months after surgery. Dont you think thats a long time considering she was grade 3? I also feel like more than brachytherapy shouldve been considered. IDK. Of course its all too late now. So my question is, does the grade 3 with LVI make her less treatable? She's undergoing chemo right now. Only had 1 round so far of Carbo/Taxol. Hopefully this doesnt change the hope that it will get rid of the tumors ...any thoughts on that? And does anyone know how LVI plays into everything? THanks again ladies for all your help.

Kaleena

With regard to reports.  

With regard to reports.   Whether it is Grade 2 or Grade 3, you are still going to have to have regular check-ups, report anything unusual, etc. etc.   When I was first diagnosed, they told me I had endometrial adenocarcinoma.   During one of my treatment sessions, I looked at my record and it said ovarian.   I was like...what?    Then one report said it was metastic cancer.    When I switched doctors after my original doctor retired, they did not report that cancer was also found on one of my ovaries.    Then there was a report that they couldn't find the original source and that my cancer could be either MMMT or Endometrial.   They picked endometrial.

The most important thing is how is your sister.   Dont get fixated on reports, etc.    Getting scanned regularly does cause "scanzity" but thats normal.   If you see or are told something, don't make quick decisions.  Think about it or get a second opinion.

With regard to brachytherapy and pelvic radiation, I only got brachythereapy even though my gyne/oncologist wanted pelvic radiation.  My radiation oncologist said that the risk of pelvic radiation outweighed the necessitiy of getting treatment becasue the scarring, etc. would cause more damage and be more detrimental to me than it would not getting it.   I didn't get my brachytherapy until eight/nine months after my original diagnosis and after my chemo ended.

Please realize that once an area has been radiated, it cannot be radiated again.  And if cancer comes back where it was already radiated, my doctors told me there would be nothing they can do.    However, there is a small way, and some posters have had it.

By the way, what is LVI?   It's early and I can't think.    

My best to you and your sister,

Kathy

ayostacey

Kaleena said:

With regard to reports.  

With regard to reports.   Whether it is Grade 2 or Grade 3, you are still going to have to have regular check-ups, report anything unusual, etc. etc.   When I was first diagnosed, they told me I had endometrial adenocarcinoma.   During one of my treatment sessions, I looked at my record and it said ovarian.   I was like...what?    Then one report said it was metastic cancer.    When I switched doctors after my original doctor retired, they did not report that cancer was also found on one of my ovaries.    Then there was a report that they couldn't find the original source and that my cancer could be either MMMT or Endometrial.   They picked endometrial.

The most important thing is how is your sister.   Dont get fixated on reports, etc.    Getting scanned regularly does cause "scanzity" but thats normal.   If you see or are told something, don't make quick decisions.  Think about it or get a second opinion.

With regard to brachytherapy and pelvic radiation, I only got brachythereapy even though my gyne/oncologist wanted pelvic radiation.  My radiation oncologist said that the risk of pelvic radiation outweighed the necessitiy of getting treatment becasue the scarring, etc. would cause more damage and be more detrimental to me than it would not getting it.   I didn't get my brachytherapy until eight/nine months after my original diagnosis and after my chemo ended.

Please realize that once an area has been radiated, it cannot be radiated again.  And if cancer comes back where it was already radiated, my doctors told me there would be nothing they can do.    However, there is a small way, and some posters have had it.

By the way, what is LVI?   It's early and I can't think.    

My best to you and your sister,

Kathy

Good Morning, LVI, from what

Good Morning, LVI, from what I read is Lymphovascular Invasion. I have no idea the significance, if any, of that. I just noticed it in the report. It said "grade 3 adenocarcinoma with LVI.

Hybridspirits

ayostacey said:

Good Morning, LVI, from what

Good Morning, LVI, from what I read is Lymphovascular Invasion. I have no idea the significance, if any, of that. I just noticed it in the report. It said "grade 3 adenocarcinoma with LVI.

LVI

from what my dr's explained LVI is cancer cells were found on the way to the lymph nodes but not in the lymph nodes.  I had posted in another post that my team sent me back to Dana Farber for a second opinion on external radiation.  They suggested not as i was 1A, had 72 lymph nodes removed all fine and that i wouldn't be readiating anything and should save that treatment for when I would reallyl need it.  If you are in dobut of treatment seek a second opinion

 

ConnieSW

Hybridspirits said:

LVI

from what my dr's explained LVI is cancer cells were found on the way to the lymph nodes but not in the lymph nodes.  I had posted in another post that my team sent me back to Dana Farber for a second opinion on external radiation.  They suggested not as i was 1A, had 72 lymph nodes removed all fine and that i wouldn't be readiating anything and should save that treatment for when I would reallyl need it.  If you are in dobut of treatment seek a second opinion

 

Hybridspirits

My understanding of LVI is the same as yours.  The question I've never asked is how common/ uncommon is this?  That is, do most 1A people have it or not?  Do you know?  I've done reading but it all seems a bit vague.  

Pi guess what I'm asking is how quickly they think it occurs after the cancer starts growing.

Hybridspirits

ConnieSW said:

Hybridspirits

My understanding of LVI is the same as yours.  The question I've never asked is how common/ uncommon is this?  That is, do most 1A people have it or not?  Do you know?  I've done reading but it all seems a bit vague.  

Pi guess what I'm asking is how quickly they think it occurs after the cancer starts growing.

what i was told is they

what i was told is they haven't really understood the risk as it isn't used in any staging.   it is a factor in determinging treatment but only one factor with judgement was what i was told..  i just found it interesting on how one big cancer hospital said definately not for me and another one said yes.  So maybe it isn't diagnosed or reported regularly so hard to calcualte the frequency.   I also have been told that the pathology report is in the interpretatoin of the one reading the slides.  This was the case for me.  My D&C said grade 3,  the local hospital originally said USPC/MMT,  Dana Farber said absolutelyl not MMT/USPC.  My oncologist wanted a tie breaker so we went to Sloan Kittery and they agreed with Dana Farber as absolutely not MMT/USPC but said yes on LVI whereas Dana Farber said absolutely not LVI.  so go figure this.  My local oncologist who has collegues at Dana Farber explained that pathology is in the eyes of the pathologist and many times you want other opinions on that.  She also explained that treatment isn't a science it is an art and there it never hurts to get other opinions.   I was also under the impression that the chemo should work on the LVI as they are just some cancer cells in the uterus in the vessels along the way and would have been removed with the hysterectomy.  THe chemo should get any free radicals roaming around as radiation needs a target.  But this is just my understanding from conversations with my treatment team

 

once i got through my treatment and strength back I have been focusing more on my immune system  and working with the Naturopath on my NKC (natural killer cells) and other immune system markers to help my body do a better job defending against cancer like it should have.  That is the control i have now and helps me stay positive with my post treatment appraoch.   Sometimes we feel cancer takes some control away from us and having this control helps balance that.

 

Sharon

ayostacey

Hybridspirits said:

what i was told is they

what i was told is they haven't really understood the risk as it isn't used in any staging.   it is a factor in determinging treatment but only one factor with judgement was what i was told..  i just found it interesting on how one big cancer hospital said definately not for me and another one said yes.  So maybe it isn't diagnosed or reported regularly so hard to calcualte the frequency.   I also have been told that the pathology report is in the interpretatoin of the one reading the slides.  This was the case for me.  My D&C said grade 3,  the local hospital originally said USPC/MMT,  Dana Farber said absolutelyl not MMT/USPC.  My oncologist wanted a tie breaker so we went to Sloan Kittery and they agreed with Dana Farber as absolutely not MMT/USPC but said yes on LVI whereas Dana Farber said absolutely not LVI.  so go figure this.  My local oncologist who has collegues at Dana Farber explained that pathology is in the eyes of the pathologist and many times you want other opinions on that.  She also explained that treatment isn't a science it is an art and there it never hurts to get other opinions.   I was also under the impression that the chemo should work on the LVI as they are just some cancer cells in the uterus in the vessels along the way and would have been removed with the hysterectomy.  THe chemo should get any free radicals roaming around as radiation needs a target.  But this is just my understanding from conversations with my treatment team

 

once i got through my treatment and strength back I have been focusing more on my immune system  and working with the Naturopath on my NKC (natural killer cells) and other immune system markers to help my body do a better job defending against cancer like it should have.  That is the control i have now and helps me stay positive with my post treatment appraoch.   Sometimes we feel cancer takes some control away from us and having this control helps balance that.

 

Sharon

Great information, thank you.

Great information, thank you. Hybridspirits, did you have recurrance, or just the original cancer?

pinky104

ayostacey

All I had done with my stage IVb was surgery and 6 rounds of chemo (carboplatin and taxol).  That was enough to put me in remission. 

Hybridspirits

ayostacey said:

Great information, thank you.

Great information, thank you. Hybridspirits, did you have recurrance, or just the original cancer?

original

no recurrance,  NED since original staging/treatment.  been real diligent with diet, supplements, exercise, well being and hoping that balances out my original treatment.   I even visited a sharma.  Not leaving any stone unturned.

ayostacey

pinky104 said:

ayostacey

All I had done with my stage IVb was surgery and 6 rounds of chemo (carboplatin and taxol).  That was enough to put me in remission. 

Pinky104, my sister was

Pinky104, my sister was originally !A, she only had the surgery and brachytherapy. the cancer spread to pelvis, inter and extra peritoneal and lower abdomen. ...so she seems like a 4B , if there is any such thing of staging a reocurrance. Since this is a recorrance, do you think she could go into remission after the chemo as well? Or is it harder to go into remission if it comes back than it is if it was the original one?