Uterine Cancer

I’m sorry that you’ve had to find this site, but glad that you did early in your treatment process. Other women here have had to have chemo before surgery, so even though it’s not as common as the reverse, it does happen.

Have you had any genetic testing done yet? While they may not be able to test the tumor itself at this time, genetic testing may indicate if you’ve inherited a particular mutation that may make immunotherapy an option in addition to chemo. Introducing immunotherapy during initial treatment is becoming more common, although not done in every case.

But know that conventional chemo can also work, even for aggressive cancers like I had and that you have. Once you know the particulars of the chemo treatment you’ll be receiving, come back and let us know. Except for those with the earliest stage of cancer, the rest of the women here normally had chemo and can share their experiences with it.

Good to hear that you'll be getting genetic testing. I didn't know what to expect from the port insertion process, but I found it very easy. It did feel strange to have the port in for the first few weeks, but I was glad I had it during chemo as it made it much easier to go to the bathroom and just move around in general during treatments. Plus it spared the veins in my hands/arms.

Paclitaxel/Carboplatin are the most common initial chemo treatments women here receive. They’re considered to be well-tolerated by most women, with fewer side effects that other chemo types. But having said that, chemo does impact each of us differently.

I did okay with those two drugs. My main side effects were leg pains that started on the third day after treatment. Others have experienced the same thing so have Claritin (not Claritan D) at hand, just in case.

Other side effects can be diarrhea (which I had) or constipation that many others had. An extra heavy dose of Imodium okayed by my oncologist helped control the diarrhea for me. Women with constipation often took probiotics.

You may also find your sense of smell and taste are different. While I love coffee, I didn’t like the smell or taste during chemo. If something didn’t smell or taste right to me, I didn’t eat/drink it as I didn’t want to develop an aversion to it later.

Fatigue is common, although I was able to work part-time when taking carbo/taxol. I also did the free exercise classes for cancer patients/survivors at my treatment center during this period.

There are a lot of comments from others’ about their experiences with this chemo regimen that you can read. See the tips for searching this site at https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/325013/searching-this-site-with-examples#latest

Note, however, the date the comments were made. Posting a question to an old comment makes it hard for others to respond as many of those women have moved on from the Board since that time. Recent discussions, or a brand new thread you start yourself, will usually elicit better responses.

Hello, tvargas

I echo my friends information and support! It’s all very scary! You will be able to relax a little after your first infusion. For me, the unknown adds a lot to the scary!

We are happy to help get you through this!

Good Morning;

I had my yearly pap smear 12 days ago and the results came back abnormal. My gyn had me in for a

ultrasound and she did a biopsy. The results of the biopsy came back yesterday: it is uterine cancer and the grade for the cells is a 3. I know that a grade 1 or 2 is better! I have an appointment early next week with a gyn/oncologist surgeon. I am 75 years old and scared! Thanks so much for the site.

I know that it doesn’t seem like it now, but it was fortunate that your pap smear indicated a problem and that you were able get additional tests so promptly. Pap smears don’t always show uterine cancer. And I’m glad you will be able to see the gynecological oncologist next week. Other women here have had much longer waits for tests and appointments to see doctors.

Once you’ve met with the doctor, let us know what your next steps will be. In the meantime, you may find it helpful to read the comments at “What do you wish someone had told you?” Many of the women there no longer post on the Board, but their comments are still helpful.

Welcome, tvargas. Wishing you the best with your port insertion and upcoming chemo.

I wanted to mention that when I had my hysterectomy, my gynecologic oncologist described some of my lymph nodes as "palpably enlarged" and others as just enlarged. Palpably enlarged lymph nodes are highly indicative of lymph node metastases. Nevertheless, after the nodes were removed and analyzed by the pathologist, no cancer was found in any of the 30 nodes removed. I believe you were staged as 3C based on the assumption that your cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. While that may turn out to be true, at this point, it is still an open issue in your case until pathological review of the nodes.

Also, there was a dispute in my case between the pathologist and my gyn-onc as to whether my tumor had spread to my cervix. My gyn-onc insisted that the cervix was involved, while the pathologist found that it was not. I asked my gyn-onc whether, based on the pathologist's finding, he would change my clinical staging, and he said "absolutely not." In the end, I think my tumor was so close to the cervix that best practices dictated that my case should be treated as if it had.

My point in telling you about my situation is that there are often grey areas in staging and interpretation of imaging studies, so I would try to keep an open mind about where your staging may ultimately end up.

Ottobar, I could have written your letter 10 YEARS AGO. I am still here, only a little worse for wear. Just steel yourself to get through this uncertain time. It gets more bearable when you get more information.and a plan.

I will be eternally grateful for that Pap smear. I just returned from seeing my grandson graduate from high school.