Adénocarcinome endometriale stage4 with nodules in peritoneum

  “Hello

 My name is Michael, I'm french. In France is information find it difficult on this cancer.   I have cancer of the endometrium with nodules in the peritoneum. (Intestines diaphragm)  I got in first cisplatin/doxoburine/cytoxan chemo. The tumors are smaller, but impossible for surgery due to the membrane.   Actualy i have carboplatin and the taxotere.  I am very afraid...   Excuse me English for.my”

Dear Michael???

You lost me after the first greeting, “Bonjour”!  Based on what you wrote in your posting, the “Bing translation” on my computer told me what you had written.  Here in the states the name “Michael” is male, but I’m assuming that perhaps your name is “Michelle”.  If I am incorrect, please tell me.  Perhaps others will know how to speak French, but not necessarily have had any experience with cancer in the Peritoneum.

  This is my own personal experience with cancer in the Peritoneum.  Having been first diagnosed with Peritoneal Carcinomatosis, I had no idea what it was.  I had no significant symptoms that would give me a clue that I had a Stage IV cancer. 

  As we all sometimes do, I diagnosed myself, and first went to my General Practitioner.  Here we call our regular doctor a “G.P.”   He, like I, thought I might have a hernia, and set up an appointment for me with a surgeon.  But prior to that upcoming date, I began to have some symptoms only on one weekend that gave me cause for concern.  I had some groin pain, and felt a bit nauseous.  So I went to the Emergency room, to have it checked out.  Two hours later, after a CT Scan, it was discovered that I had Peritoneal Carcinomatosis.  Three weeks later, at a SECOND opinion at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, that diagnosis was confirmed.  In addition, exploratory surgery would reveal additional cancer in my ovaries. 

  However, at this stage, I was told the tumors were too numerous and too large for surgery at that time.  They informed me that I should first come back home, have chemotherapy, and then be further reassessed.  This I did.

  And the surgery, if and when one is warranted, most often a Cytorective Surgery (CRS) is performed.  Here in the United States, it is also commonly called “debulking”.  This surgery is performed on men as well as women, because men can also have Peritoneal Carcinomatosis.  And since you say you’ve been diagnosed with Stage IV, as was I, this leads me to believe that a CRS would be the surgery you would most likely have if surgery is deemed helpful.    

  As for me, having already had my uterus and appendix removed at a much earlier time in my life, there were still other “non-essential organs” that the surgeons like to remove to reduce the number of places to which the cancer can spread.  So for me, it was the Fallopian tubes, ovaries, spleen, gallbladder, omentum, and sections of my intestines were removed.  As far as the intestinal resectioning, problems with irregularity are common but that’s the price one pays to eliminate one more place to which this cancer likes to spread. 

  But I will tell you that even after that surgery, my cancer continues to spread, and I’m in my third session of chemo consisting of Carboplatin and Paclitaxel (Taxol).  This is not intended to be curative, but rather to curtail as much as possible further rapid spread.  But the most I can hope for as a Stage IV patient, is that there will be long periods of “progression free survival” aka (PFS).  And so it seems I have about one good year between finding that once again the cancer is growing.  I’ve also had targeted radiation to the Caudate Lobe of my Liver.  That was successful.  So presently, I’m not sure what the results of this third round of chemotherapy will produce.  But this cancer is treated the same way as Ovarian Cancer.  I was first diagnosed in November of 2012, so I am alive four years later, thank the Lord.  I was able to have my entire family over for Christmas day.  I did all the cooking.  And of course, the thoughts, though not spoken audibly by me, were this.  Will this be my last Christmas celebration with my family?  Those thoughts are legitimate, especially with the statistics for my Stage IV cancer.  But I refuse to “dwell” on them because it’s out of my control. 

 So it goes without saying, I’m sorry you have been diagnosed with this cancer.  In my case, both Peritoneal Cancer and Ovarian Cancer are treated with the same drug regimen.  I don’t know the medical routine in France, but here it is not uncommon, and most often doctors advise that a patient have a SECOND OPINION at a major medical center that specializes in this type of cancer.  It matters greatly as to what kind of treatment regimens will be prescribed, and most important, if a Cytoreductive Surgery is possible, how many does this surgeon perform on a regular basis?

  So the most help I can be for you is to provide you with some web links that will give you further information.  It is best to seek out information from top hospitals regarding this kind of diagnosis.  It is good to do your own research, and be very inquisitive when doctors are talking about things you don’t understand.  It’s your body and your life, and you need to be in the “circle”!

  Not sure if any of the info below will be helpful, but it is all that I can do for you.  So hopefully some of this information will enlighten you somewhat.  As with most cancer patients, our world gets turned upside down and all our plans go astray when suddenly we are faced with a diagnosis such as this.  And no doubt that is your experience already, and you have every right to be scared.  But at least you can be “informed” even though you will have every reason to wonder what on earth is going to happen.  Difficult as it is, try not to take on more than one day’s problems at a time.  God knows that’s enough. 

  Most sincerely,

 Loretta

 Peritoneal Carcinomatosis/Ovarian Cancer Stage IV

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   Since you mention more than one chemo, here is a good site that will give you the reasons for taking this particular drug, and its side effects.  Also I’m not familiar with the drug “doxoburine”, all I’m familiar with is “doxorubicin” and so I have included that in this list.

1.   http://chemocare.com/chemotherapy/drug-info/carboplatin.aspx
2.  http://chemocare.com/chemotherapy/drug-info/cisplatin.aspx
3.  http://chemocare.com/chemotherapy/drug-info/cytoxan.aspx
4.  http://chemocare.com/chemotherapy/drug-info/doxorubicin.aspx
5.  http://chemocare.com/chemotherapy/drug-info/Taxotere.aspx

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 Endometrial (Uterine) Cancer Overview

 “…Endometrial cancer starts in the inner lining of the womb (uterus). This lining is called the endometrium…”

6.   http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003048-pdf.pdf

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 7.  http://www.cancer.org/cancer/endometrialcancer/detailedguide/endometrial-uterine-cancer-treating-by-stage

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 Stage IV – Endometrial cancer

 In stage IV, cancer has spread beyond the pelvis. Stage IV is divided into stages IVA and IVB, based on how far the cancer has spread.

 8.  https://www.cancer.gov/types/uterine/patient/endometrial-treatment-pdq#section/_111

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 “Endometrial carcinoma is generally considered the most common gynaecological malignancy ^1,5. It frequently presents with vaginal bleeding and both ultrasound and pelvic MRI are useful modalities for evaluation…”

 9.  https://radiopaedia.org/articles/endometrial-carcinoma

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   10.  http://www.cancer.org/cancer/endometrialcancer/detailedguide/endometrial-uterine-cancer-treating-general-info

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11.   https://www.boundless.com/physiology/textbooks/boundless-anatomy-and-physiology-textbook/digestive-system-23/the-peritoneum-218/the-peritoneum-1071-2285/

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 12.  http://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps

   “BodyMaps is an interactive visual search tool that allows users to explore the human body in 3-D. With easy-to-use navigation, users can search multiple layers of the human anatomy, view systems and organs down to their smallest parts, and understand in detail how the human body works…”

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