Appointment to Discuss Pathology Report & Questions I should ask.

CheeseQueen57 said:

Ask for a copy of the report

And a copy of the surgery report. As a matter of fact, you want copies of everything. Not only for your interest but should you seek a second opinion. Ask what type of cells the were, Endometrioid, sarcoma, clear cell.  How far through the uterus did the tumor penetrate?  I would seek a second opinion on the pathology. Pathology is pretty subjective. My cancer center made it pretty easy. They took care of sending the slides down to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. I did ask them to send the block but they refused and unlike Cathy, I have no pathology relatives to pull strings. The report came to the Sam conclusions as Fox Chase.  I'm being treated at Fox Chase in Philadelphia for Stage IIIc, Grade 3 Endometrioid cancer. 

Thank you, CheeseQueen57. I wrote down all the questions and will take them with me tomorrow. I think this is the first time speaking with you. Such a pleasure to meet you.  I appreciate your time and for sharing your wisdom. Hugs and blessings of success in treatment.

Kvdyson said:

Questions

Hi Charissa, because I had already accessed my pathology report from my hospital's online portal, I had already done a lot of research on my diagnosis (uterine MMMT, stage 1b, grade 3) before going into that first follow-up appointment. I knew for sure that I was going to get a second opinion. I asked my gyn-onc's opinion about it and he was perfectly fine with it although he warned me that it could come back with a different diagnosis (he was right). I also asked him about the recent studies indicating progression-free survival and overall survival for my diagnosis. He warned me away from retrospective studies since so much has changed in the last few years.   

I was particularly interested in finding out about my treatment plan, specifically, what chemo meds would be used and why, how many chemo treatments over what period of time, whether a port was advisable for the chemo treatments, what type of radiation and why, how many radiation treatments and over what period of time, and the expected benefits and side effects of both types of treatments.

I recommend taking a tape recorder or some sort of recording device with you. I did and found it incredibly helpful to listen to it afterwards since both my husband and I missed a lot of what the gyn-onc had said. 

I hope this information helps. Good luck to you on Thursday and please let us know how it goes. Kim

 

Wow, thank you, Kim. Great questions. My list is growing. Hope he has enough time to answer them all. Lol! I will definitely start a new post or add to this one, once I get my results. Praying for a favorable outcome. I had symptoms for 15 weeks, prior to surgery. So, the cancer was in there and angry for a long time. Plus, my OBGyn thought it was a polyp and made it that much more angry when she attempted to remove it and was unsuccessful. I had the worse cramps and hemorrhaging for the next week and half until my hysterectomy. I'm hoping by her doing the surgery and not getting it all, it didn't cause it to spread rapidly. I'll know everything tomorrow. Thank you, again, for all your time, love, and support. This is the BEST group ever!

Hi Ladies, I had my appointment yesterday. I can't be more thrilled. It is amazing and simply a miracle, what was presented to me. Mind you, I had symptoms for almost four months; with my doctor sending me on vacation thinking all my hemorrhaging was due to a persistent polyp.  Surgery to remove the polyp and the hysterectomy took place six weeks after my vacation. Up until my appointment yesterday, I didn't know what type I had only what grade - 3.

My oncologist started out with, "Well this is a most reassuring pathology report. In fact, it's a miracle. There was no evidence of cancer in the cervix, right or left ovary, right or left fallopian tube, left or right parametrium, the omentum or the 21 lymph nodes extracted. The tumor only invaded .3 mm of your 13 mm myometrial wall. The tumor size was 5.5 cm. The histologic type is Endometrioid Adenocarcinoma, NOS; FIGO Grade 3; pathologic staging pT1a, NO. I feel confident we got it all and am only recommending 3-5 low doses of brachytherapy for preventative measures. We will continue monitoring you closely, with having a CT scan done every 12 weeks for the next two years."

We were assured, prior to the report coming back, due to my symptoms, the length of time I had symptoms, and the grade of cancer that I would have to do chemotherapy NO MATTER the outcome of the pathology report. So, to say the least, my hubby, daughters, family, friends and I are very pleased and feel comfortable with his treatment plan. In the meantime, I am working with a holistic doctor who will prescribe alternative treatments to kill/keep cancer at bay, along with following a cancer prevention diet through a dietician. I am remaining hopeful with the brachytherapy and the alternative meds and diet, I can beat this.

Thank you, everyone, for your love support, and for being here for me. I'm sure I will have more questions, once I start the radiation. In the meantime, I'm going to celebrate the staging, my treatment, and concentrate on healing from the hysterectomy. I feel like I can breathe a little. You guys are the most AMAZING women and I feel truly blessed to have found you. I hope to give back to the newcomers, what you all have given to me - encouragement, wisdom, love, and support.

Big hugs to each of you. May you truly be blessed for your commitment to walking alongside this journey together.

Thank you, Cindi. I am still trying to process it all. It feels so surreal. We had honestly set ourselves up for the worse, based off what little we were told and how both the OBGyn and oncologist rushed things in the 7 days after the initial lab results came in. We were never given any news of hope other then the oncologist PROMISED to take the very best care of me. He was suspecting the worse, considering my grade, my symptoms, and length of time I had the symptoms.

It was quite interesting yesterday, as he kept looking at the report, then going into the computer to make sure he wasn't missing anything and comparing this to that - almost, like he was in disbelief. We are definitely celebrating as a family. I am hoping to be able to continue home schooling my daughters through high school and watching them graduate, go off to college, and hopefully one day they both marry and give us grandbabies.

On the other hand, I feel extremely sensitive to others on here that haven't received such favorable news. It breaks my heart. Regardless, we are all in this together. There is a bond with this group, like no other outside of it. No one truly understands what it is like to receive that phone call and confirmation, until they have lived through it. Life is forever changed, but hopefully all for the good in helping us to see the daily blessings, reprioritize what is important, and how fragile life really is.

Feeling blessed all the way around.