How fast does uterine cancer grow?

Double Whammy said:

It's my understanding it really doesn't grow that fast
or at least endometroid adenocarcinoma grade 1 doesn't grow that fast, which is what I had. I didn't have my hysterectomy for 2 1/2 months after my dx because I also had breast cancer and that surgery trumped the hysterectomy. If anyone was concerned about it, it wasn't apparent. Of course, I was. I just know we'd wait one day too long and one little cell would get out and plant itself somewhere outside my uterus. The wait was really awful for me. When I got the initial dx from my gynecologist, she said it was "important, but not urgent". When all was done my gyn-onc said the wait didn't make any difference. That's my experience with my cancer, I don't know about the more aggressive types and grades of cancers.

Good luck
Suzanne

california_artist said:

This article mentions tests/stains that can be done and how they
are interprted.

Your pathology report may include information about the rate of cell growth — what proportion of the cancer cells within the tumor are growing and dividing to form new cancer cells. A higher percentage suggests a faster-growing, more aggressive cancer, rather than a slower, “laid back” one. Tests that can measure the rate of growth include:

S-phase fraction: This number tells you what percentage of cells in the sample are in the process of copying their genetic information, or DNA. This S-phase, short for “synthesis phase,” happens just before a cell divides into two new cells. A result of less than 6% is considered low, 6-10% intermediate, and over 10% high.
Ki-67: Ki-67 is a protein in cells that increases as they prepare to divide into new cells. A staining process can measure the percentage of tumor cells that are positive for Ki-67. The more positive cells there are, the more quickly they are dividing and forming new cells. In breast cancer, a result of less than 10% is considered low, 10-20% borderline, and high if over 20%.
Although the S-phase fraction and Ki-67 level may provide you and your doctor with useful information, these tests are not always reliable. Experts don’t yet agree on how to use the results when making treatment decisions. Therefore, doctors don’t order these tests routinely, so they may not appear in your pathology report. The other results in your report will be much more important in making informed choices. (If you decide to have an Oncotype DX test to check the likelihood of cancer coming back and whether you could benefit from chemotherapy, Ki-67 will be included in that panel of testing.)

Hope this helps or at least gives you something to talk about with your doctor.

Gracegoi said:

Hi Sabina
Saw your other post . Thought I'd adress this one. I ran into a woman I used to work with two weeks ago. She was diagnoised with uterine cancer and had surgery a year ago September.

She ended up with Stage 1 grade 1 and needed no futher treatment. She had no idea what kind of Uterine cancer she had. She said it took six months till she finally got the surgery. It began with her going to the doctor about complications with a bladder sling. She asked for a pap because she had not had one in seven years. She had no symptoms just wanted one. She's in her seventies. Her pap had adnormal cells . Her sonogram showed a thickened lining . Somewhere in the waiting the doctor was on a three week vacation.

;-/ true story.

I hope you have the same outcome . Fingers and toes crossed for you.


Grace

Liberty123 said:

how fast does cancer grow
I've written you before, our stories sound remarkably similar. Same age, same symptoms. I got myself to the doctor the next week also. I'm hoping for you the same outcome I've had.

I had the less aggressive form of cancer and was assured waiting for surgery was ok. After about a month of the light spotting I had a lot more blood and it was like your's, red. That actually lasted from January until my surgery in the middle of April. It was like a continuous period. I had clots also. I sure was tired of it and as you are I was fearful. The surgeon assured me it was ok. As it turned out I was Stage 1, grade 1A and nothing in the lymph nodes that were taken out. I feel really blessed. I didn't know about all the different kinds of uterine cancer until after I had my surgery. If I had known it would have been much worse waiting.

Yesterday on the way to my 6-month checkup I realized it had been two months since I'd been to a doctor and I was finally more relaxed. I could never relax while I was waiting and worrying.

Please let us know how you are doing.

Kathy

Double Whammy said:

You will always find someone
whose preop dx was low grade cancer (or precancer) who got a surprise pathology report of a higher grade, more aggressive, more advanced cancer after hysterectomy, but that is very unusual. The odds are in highly your favor. Hope you get scheduled soon and can look back on this and say "whew". The wait and the worry about the "what ifs" is just so consuming. You also see on this board that recurrences do happen, even with low grade early stage cancer. Remember, women come here for support because they need it. I want to stay connected to be able to say to the newly diagnosed frightened women, "hey, look at me. I'm doing great". And should things take a turn in a different direction, I know there is so much support and love here.

Time will help with your anxiety, but time takes time. I couldn't let go of any of it until well after my treatments for breast cancer were done. Then I worried that I was no longer having treatments. Now, almost a year later I'm really at peace with the whole thing. It's simply a frightening, challenging time in your life - but it does get better. Doesn't mean I don't worry about anything that seems "off", but I look at it with more logic now. I've also had a good outcome and I know that makes a difference.

We're all here for the support you need, Sabina.

Another personal comment:

My life/interests/and passion have changed a lot since dx. I'm now a breast cancer peer navigator and am working with the cancer center on expanding the program to include gynecologic cancers. I volunteer for Komen. I'm involved in a community I didn't even know existed and it's a wonderful community. That includes this online community. I've grown a whole lot during this journey and I want to continue to learn and grow. It's sort of ironic how things can turn out sometimes - sort of like Forrest Gump - "life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get".

Hugs,
Suzanne