Brachytherapy ???

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  • Dedifferentiated
    Dedifferentiated Member Posts: 2
    #22
    uterine cancer stage 1a grade3 with differentiated cells.

    anyone out there know about this?

  • zsazsa1
    zsazsa1 Member Posts: 568 Member
    #23
    Differentiated means that the

    Differentiated means that the cells are still showing features of what they came from.  The more differentiated a cell is, the less dedicated it is to simply being an aggressive cancer.  So the more differentiated, the better.  Really nasty cancer cells are undifferentiated - no longer look at all like the tissue from which they arose, all of the cell is dedicated to simply multiplying and growing as a cancer cell.

  • Abbycat2
    Abbycat2 Member Posts: 644 Member
    #24
    I did not have radiation Tx

    My gyn onc told me that Tx for my stage 3a Uterine Papillary Serous carcinoma was 90% surgical removal, 9% chemo Tx and 1% radiation. Think carefully about getting radiation Tx. My cancer was located high in my uterus and my doctor told me that I was not likely to develop cancer following all my treatment on my vaginal cuff. SO, I chose no radiation. Boy, is radiation the “gift that keeps on giving“ in that the damage it causes is permanent and can ruin your quality of life. I have a close relative who had bilateral breast cancer, including her 2 neu- she had 3 bilateral breast surgeries, 6 rounds of chemo, including the alopecia-causing taxotere. Followed by 72 rounds of chest radiation- 36 per breast. No, she is not the same person she was before her “Tx”. She has NO stamina and gets winded with little effort. I doubt if she will have a long life. How can she when she is so diminished in capacity? Just keep in mind that some of this so called “treatment (Tx)” can and will destroy your quality of life.

  • zsazsa1
    zsazsa1 Member Posts: 568 Member
    #25
    Well, I'm most definitely

    Well, I'm most definitely dreading it.  Here I am, feeling fantastic after having completed chemo.  And I know I'm choosing the most aggressive treatment by going with pelvic radiation.  But with serous/clear cell already out in a node, I don't think I have much choice in the matter.  I just don't think it makes sense to do brachytherapy when my tumor was in the other end of the uterus, and had escaped to a node, albeit only as isolated cells.  When I read the results of the GOG-249 and the PORTEC-3, they make a very convincing case for radiation increasing survival rates.  And the GOG-258 made a convincing case for chemotherapy.

    One thing that I've learned is that different specialists have different views of each others' treatments.  The gyn onc surgeon told me that if I had pelvic radiation and chemo, that my colon would never work again.  But the radiation oncologists say that that is just NOT true - that the rate of serious complications is low.  The study results confirm that.  And then I hear anecdotes from women who suffered urinary tract, bowel, or bone damage.  I'm just terrified.  I try to think logically, look at the numbers.  But the anecdotes scare me.

  • CheeseQueen57
    CheeseQueen57 Member Posts: 933 Member
    edited March 2019 #26
    Anecdotes

    Careful with anecdotes. I had read so many horrible things online about Prolia that I almost refused the treatment despite my bones being almost ash. In fact, I was crying when the nurse gave me the shot. So far no problems and hopefully it will prevent me from having a hip fracture which often is the beginning of the end. 

  • LisaPizza
    LisaPizza Member Posts: 358 Member
    #27
    zsazsa1 said:

    Well, I'm most definitely

    Well, I'm most definitely dreading it.  Here I am, feeling fantastic after having completed chemo.  And I know I'm choosing the most aggressive treatment by going with pelvic radiation.  But with serous/clear cell already out in a node, I don't think I have much choice in the matter.  I just don't think it makes sense to do brachytherapy when my tumor was in the other end of the uterus, and had escaped to a node, albeit only as isolated cells.  When I read the results of the GOG-249 and the PORTEC-3, they make a very convincing case for radiation increasing survival rates.  And the GOG-258 made a convincing case for chemotherapy.

    One thing that I've learned is that different specialists have different views of each others' treatments.  The gyn onc surgeon told me that if I had pelvic radiation and chemo, that my colon would never work again.  But the radiation oncologists say that that is just NOT true - that the rate of serious complications is low.  The study results confirm that.  And then I hear anecdotes from women who suffered urinary tract, bowel, or bone damage.  I'm just terrified.  I try to think logically, look at the numbers.  But the anecdotes scare me.

    I thought external radiation

    I thought external radiation had left me with permanent diarrhea, but it turned out it didn't, it was caused by something else unrelated and is being treated. I suspect radiation may have made my baseline looser or more frequent than before, but that's complicated by having had a cholecystectomy too. I feel reasonably good about my choice even if it's *only* local control, because i had extensive tumor all over my uterus and extensive tumor thoughout my left ovary, and only 5 lymph nodes removed. You have to remember that patient forums select for those who have had the most problems and complications, because rhey have the most to deal with. Ultimately you have to make peace with a devil's choice ... still working on that.

  • Ribbons
    Ribbons Member Posts: 154 Member
    #28
    Second treatment

     

    Yesterday I had the second brachytherapy treatment. Dr asked if I had any side effects, I said no and is it even working! She said yes, and no side effects is how it should be. So that’s good. 

  • Luckyluke
    Luckyluke Member Posts: 55 Member
    #29
    Radiation treatment

    ZsaZsa1 saw the radiologist  today and I'm  getting the full treatment of radiation  external and brachyterapy. Even though I'm  just stage 2 serous he is recommending  both because serous is aggressive.  Well still have 1 round of chemo then will get 25 external and 3 brachy and then 3 more rounds of chemo. Hopefully  will be done with it all in late July. I'm  hoping it knocks anything out that still lingered.  Wishing you well in the rest of your  treatment. Chemo wasn't  too bad the 2nd round was better than 1st round. Hope it continues to go that way with each round. 

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