Serous Uterine Cancer UPSC

Joannaray
Joannaray Member Posts: 4
in Uterine/Endometrial Cancer #1

Hello Everyone,

               I would like to reach to anyone with experience with Serous Uterine Cancer,

treatment option , chemo and side effects, radiation ?

thank you 

Joanna

Comments

  • EZLiving66
    EZLiving66 Member Posts: 1,483 Member
    #2
    What do you want to know?  I

    What do you want to know?  I was diagnosed in August of 2015 with a total hysterectomy September 30, 2015 of Stage II, UPSC.  I only made it through three chemos before suffering devastating side effects.  No radiation since a CT scan and x-rays could find no other cancer. As of now I am showing No Evidence of Disease (NED) although I still suffer the side effects from the chemo.

    Love,

    Eldri

  • ConnieSW
    ConnieSW Member Posts: 1,688 Member
    #3
    EZLiving66 said:

    What do you want to know?  I

    What do you want to know?  I was diagnosed in August of 2015 with a total hysterectomy September 30, 2015 of Stage II, UPSC.  I only made it through three chemos before suffering devastating side effects.  No radiation since a CT scan and x-rays could find no other cancer. As of now I am showing No Evidence of Disease (NED) although I still suffer the side effects from the chemo.

    Love,

    Eldri

    Hi

    Have you had surgery yet so you know exactly what you are dealing with?  I was diagnosed 6 years ago this month. I was lucky to be at an early stage and am cancer free to the best of my knowledge. Click on my name to go to "about me" and read about my treatment. Unlike Eldri my chemo was pretty uneventful. It wasn't a walk in the park but no where near what I feared it would be. 

    PS I see on another thread that you are writing about your mother in law. We do have ladies her age who have been through treatment. I'm sure one will be along soon. I was 65 when I was diagnosed. 

  • Joannaray
    Joannaray Member Posts: 4
    #4
    ConnieSW said:

    Hi

    Have you had surgery yet so you know exactly what you are dealing with?  I was diagnosed 6 years ago this month. I was lucky to be at an early stage and am cancer free to the best of my knowledge. Click on my name to go to "about me" and read about my treatment. Unlike Eldri my chemo was pretty uneventful. It wasn't a walk in the park but no where near what I feared it would be. 

    PS I see on another thread that you are writing about your mother in law. We do have ladies her age who have been through treatment. I'm sure one will be along soon. I was 65 when I was diagnosed. 

    Thank you so much for

    Thank you so much for replying . I will post later what her oncologist will say.

  • derMaus
    derMaus Member Posts: 558 Member
    #5
    There's lots of good

    There's lots of good information on this site; just type "UPSC" in the search function and all kinds of stuff will come up. Good luck and keep us posted!

  • jodil
    jodil Member Posts: 42
    #6
    UPSC

    Welcome Joanna, so glad you found this site. I too am curious about specific questions you have. I have to admit I get confused w/ the various terminology. I was diagnosed w/ MMMT (also known as carcinosarcoma but not sure if it is the same as UPSC). I am 59. In August 2017 I started having spotting after going thru menopause several years ago w/ no spotting. I waited a month, hoping it would stop, thinking maybe it was stress or my body going thru one final period. Deep down I KNEW something was wrong but didn't want to face it. After a month I called my PCP who referred me to their ob/gyn. I saw her on 9/26 and she removed some tissue right then. I got a call from her on 10/2-devastating: She said I have "a very rare and aggressive form of cancer called mmmt." She gave me the name of a gynoncologist. The second we hung up I googled. BIG mistake. I left work shortly, believing I had just been given a death sentence which is NOT the case!!! If at all possible, please try to stay off web md! I had a complete hysterechtomy on 10/24. HOWEVER-I first had to have a colonoscopy prior to this type of surgery and a mass was found there as well. Could NOT believe it. I was truly in a state of shock. So, my gynoncologist quickly got a colleague on board to do the colon resection. Pathology report came back as stage 3 uterine cancer that had spread to one tube and 1 ovary in addition to the uterus and stage 3 colon cancer. Met with my medical oncologist late November and after he had consulted w/ the tumor board, it was decided to focus on the most uterine cancer. I just completed my 5th round of carbo/taxol today. Not a picnic but definitely not as bad as I thought it would be. I have 1 more round in 3 weeks. We will wait 3 weeks after that to let that 6th treatment do its job and then I will have a PET scan to see if any cancer cells "light up" on the scan. At that time, we will discuss if radiation is necessary. hope that answered some of your questions Joanna.

  • gbazyl
    gbazyl Member Posts: 23
    edited March 2018 #7
    I hope all works out for

    I hope all works out for everyone going through treatment.

     

    I am also confused about the terminology...Is serous adenocarcinoma high grade the same as upsc?   I can not find anything to say they are the same but also not different...but looks like they a lumped up in the more aggressive catagory?

     

    Suregery is Thursday...waiting for ct results/

  • Jairoldi
    Jairoldi Member Posts: 221 Member
    #8
    gbazyl said:

    I hope all works out for

    I hope all works out for everyone going through treatment.

     

    I am also confused about the terminology...Is serous adenocarcinoma high grade the same as upsc?   I can not find anything to say they are the same but also not different...but looks like they a lumped up in the more aggressive catagory?

     

    Suregery is Thursday...waiting for ct results/

    I think all the same...

    Uterine serous carcinoma (USC), also known as uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC) and uterine serous adenocarcinoma 

  • gbazyl
    gbazyl Member Posts: 23
    #9
    Jairoldi said:

    I think all the same...

    Uterine serous carcinoma (USC), also known as uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC) and uterine serous adenocarcinoma 

    Thank you...I thought so.....

    Thank you...I thought so.........can I say the "F" word lol!

  • Abbycat2
    Abbycat2 Member Posts: 644 Member
    #10
    UPSC is always a grade 3 Uterine adenocarcinoma

    I think MMMT and Clear Cell and some garden variety endometriod adenocarcinoma of the uterus are all aggressive or grade 3 cancers. Most ladies diagnosed with endometriod uterine cancer have a grade one cancer. Usually curable at an early stage.

  • Barb1957
    Barb1957 Member Posts: 1
    edited March 2018 #11
    UPSC

    Received diagnosis on 1/31, had hysterectomy last Wed, 3/7.  Won't get staging or other info until post op oncologist visit on 3/20.  Oncologist has already suggested that I need to be open minded about Chemo and radiation - which I do not want.  Are there other options? 

  • Armywife
    Armywife Member Posts: 451 Member
    #12
    Barb1957 said:

    UPSC

    Received diagnosis on 1/31, had hysterectomy last Wed, 3/7.  Won't get staging or other info until post op oncologist visit on 3/20.  Oncologist has already suggested that I need to be open minded about Chemo and radiation - which I do not want.  Are there other options? 

    Options

    Barb, it will be hard to make a good decision about your options until you know what you're dealing with, which will be at your post-op visit.  Your gyn-oncologist will probably have a treatment plan in mind.  I did a LOT of research in those three weeks between my surgery and my post-op visit.  You may want to get a second opinion as well - I did, and am very glad I did.  Although my second opinion changed both my stage and grade (from IIIA to IVB and grade 1 to 2), the treatment plan recommended was the same.  I completed chemo, and my original doctor wanted radiation.  My second opinion doctor said it wasn't proven beneficial.  We all decided together to reserve radiation for a recurrence.  I know you're just shocked about everything right now, so focus on rest and healing, and know that you'll get through this.  We all have your back.

  • barnyardgal
    barnyardgal Member Posts: 272 Member
    #13
    Barb, once you get back your

    Barb, once you get back your pathology report that will really determine what treatment the doctor will suggest. I don't have UPSC but I was 3a, grade 2 endometrial adenocarcinoma. Chemo and radiation were recommended. My first reaction was nope,not doing that, but after a few deep breaths I went forward with the treatments.  I'm getting chemo now, just completed #6,  and though it is not fun, it's not that bad. It's well worth it if it kicks cancer to the curb.

     

  • LisaPizza
    LisaPizza Member Posts: 358 Member
    #14
    barnyardgal said:

    Barb, once you get back your

    Barb, once you get back your pathology report that will really determine what treatment the doctor will suggest. I don't have UPSC but I was 3a, grade 2 endometrial adenocarcinoma. Chemo and radiation were recommended. My first reaction was nope,not doing that, but after a few deep breaths I went forward with the treatments.  I'm getting chemo now, just completed #6,  and though it is not fun, it's not that bad. It's well worth it if it kicks cancer to the curb.

     

    Barnyardgal, we're

    Barnyardgal, we're practically twinsies. I was also stage 3a, grade 2, and have chemo #5 of 6 tomorrow, then on to radiation.

  • barnyardgal
    barnyardgal Member Posts: 272 Member
    edited March 2018 #15
    Lisapizza, are you getting

    Lisapizza, are you getting carbo/taxol? I was allergic to Taxol and desensitization didn't work. So I'm getting adriamyacin and carbo. That regimen is 8 chemo treatments instead of 6. Blah. So I have 2 more chemo treatments and then radiation. Good luck with #5 tomorrow!

  • evolo58
    evolo58 Member Posts: 293 Member
    #16
    Barb1957 said:

    UPSC

    Received diagnosis on 1/31, had hysterectomy last Wed, 3/7.  Won't get staging or other info until post op oncologist visit on 3/20.  Oncologist has already suggested that I need to be open minded about Chemo and radiation - which I do not want.  Are there other options? 

    Chemo and/or radiation are,

    Chemo and/or radiation are, unfortunately, standard treatments for most gyno oncos ...even at lower stages now. UPSC is that aggressive and sneaky a cancer. For that reason, many gyno oncos will push for one and/or both, depending on the situation. Some will be leaning more toward letting you choose. In any case, you certainly have the option to refuse treatments, but as with anything, there are serious risks involved. Your final stage may help you better decide. If you have any doubt about the results, I believe you can have another pathologist read them.

    No one wants chemo or radiation. They can be brutal on the body. If, however, you have a medical reason for not pursuing this, that's another matter. Some, unfortunately, find themselves in that situation. In that case, your onco may be aware of clinical trials. But be aware, they are trials. Many are in the very early stages, when the success rate is unclear, and many have placebos as part of the test.

    There are non-chemo or -radiation options, but it's a case of pursue at your own risk. 

  • LisaPizza
    LisaPizza Member Posts: 358 Member
    #17
    barnyardgal said:

    Lisapizza, are you getting

    Lisapizza, are you getting carbo/taxol? I was allergic to Taxol and desensitization didn't work. So I'm getting adriamyacin and carbo. That regimen is 8 chemo treatments instead of 6. Blah. So I have 2 more chemo treatments and then radiation. Good luck with #5 tomorrow!

    Barnyardgal, yes i am having

    Barnyardgal, yes i am having Taxol/carbo. I did have the reaction to Taxol, but was able to restart and continue with it. Boo for 8 treatments!

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