Papillary Serous

Michaelynn said:

I am stage 1 grade 3
I was diagnosed in February 2010. Had complete hysterectomy in March. I had radiation to the vaginal cuff 3 times in May. I then started chemo carbo/taxol in June. I went every 3 weeks for 6 rounds of chemo. I am guessing your mothers treatment will be much the same as long as her health is good otherwise. I have had 1 cat scan and 2 lung xrays since my treatment ended.
Just about everyone has different side effects. I had some nausea but had meds for it. I also had lots of bone pain. I was not to tired most of the time. I did lose all my hair eyebrows and eyelashes 2 weeks after the first chemo treatment. Had my last treatment in September and by April had a full head of hair again. You do a lot of crying as your emotions are all over the place and the fear of the unknown will drive you crazy but you come to terms with it and deal with it one day at a time. if you have any questions come back and ask them. There are a lot of good women on the board that have knowledge of just about any subject that might arise. My advice would be to wait until after the hysterectomy when you get your stage number
as that determines how advanced the cancer is before you worry about any treatment that might occur down the road. Just worry about the surgery coming up right now.

Lynn

daisy366 said:

3958 and Fayard
Regarding papillary serous - called uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC). I was diagnosed 3 years ago with stage 3 - maybe 4 (long story). My doctor considers this to be a chronic condition and said I can live a long time with it.

It is pretty scary to get cancer and then find you have a rare and aggressive SOB to deal with. But take heart, there are many treatments out there for us. I have had one recurrence and I'm cognizant that there may be others but I have learned to live in the moment.

Please don't get discouraged. Hang in there. Listen to your doc but ask lots of questions - even a second opinion if that helps. I do recommend that you ask your doctor for a tissue assay or functional profile which helps to identify the best chemo for you. Also get tested for hormone sensitivity. These tests will help your doc decide the best way to go.

Fayard, I also did not have radiation during my initial treatment tho most others had both chemo and radiaiton. When I asked my doc, he said that he did not believe that there was "science" to support me getting it. I worried but trusted his judgement. He believes in giving enough treatment but not over-treatment. I did have radiation for my recurrence which was in my neck lymph nodes. I don't think The lack of radiation had any connection with this recurrence. I just think some doctors give their patients everything including the kitchen sink - and some are more judicious or selective. I'm glad that I did not have to deal with the side effects of radiation that many others have had in abdominal and vaginal area. I do have some effects from my radiation in the neck which have potential to create problems in the future. But - one day at a time.

Wishing you ladies all the best - peace, joy, faith, courage. Love, mary Ann

daisy366 said:

Fayard
No I don't mind. I finished initial treatment (6 rounds of chemo) Feb 2009. May 2010 a biopsy of enlarged supraclavicular lymph nodes showed it has recurred in neck. However, after carefully considering my PET scans, I always had something show up in my neck area. My original PET scan was lit up throughout my body - I think I might have been stage 4 from beginning. I think cancer was there from beginning and that the radialogy doctors discounted cancer after treatment and said it was just "brown fat" in my neck when they read the PETs. It turned out to be resistant cancer cells that needed aggressive treatment. I tried the diet only approach from May to Sept but because the CA125 kept rising I had both chemo and radiation for 7 weeks (completed end of Nov 2010) and so far everything is clear and good. I have also quit fulltime work which has greatly lowered my stress. I exercise alot and do things at a casual pace.

Stay positive, things will work out. Mary Ann