Just stopped radiation after 5 treatments

Welcome FreakingOutHere. It is a scary thing to deal with! Maybe we can help. It helps to know other women have gone before and you can learn from them. I did not have radiation, but read your pathology report. You have endometrioid type 1 cancer cells. This type is less likely to spread or result in fatality. I have learned that you can never say never with cancer cells. You are stage II because your tumor grew in to more than 50% of the wall (muscle) of your uterus. That is just how they ( The National Gynecologists Oncologists) decided to determine stage. Lymphovascular invasion means the tumor had blood and or lymph vessels (they are so small its not possible to tell the difference) in it. That usually increases the risk or cells goings somewhere else. Lower uterine segment tumors are more likely to recur from my reading. Maybe you don't have confidence in your doctor. You can request a second opinion. I think if I were you I would do that. There is a patient here who had to stop her treatment. We are all different. There are a few patients on here who had two different types of cancer, but you are worried about a different cancer in your field of radiation. I have read of cases, but a second cancer seems to be unusual so I would make sure you get an answer to that question. Your doctor should be able to answer that. Be persistent and maybe write the question down so you can be specific about your worries. The doctor or nurse should be able to tell you what side effects are possible too. Or give you that information to read. And then I would follow my doctors recommendation. But we are all different.

Sue

Critical Considerations:

1.) Frontline treatment is your best chance for a cure. Once this cancer recurs, it is treatable, but no longer curable.

2). There are 3 grades of endometrial cancer. Grade 1 tumors have more normal cells than cancerous cells. This is a cancer (yours) that has been caught early. Grade 2 tumors have a more even mix of cancerous and normal looking cells in them and would have probably been growing and mutating for a while. Grades 1 and 2 cancers are less aggressive about recuring (with exceptions) than Grade 3 tumors. Grade 3 tumors are more cancer cells than anything else. They are grouped with rarer types of uterine cancer because they are aggressive about recurring.

3). Stage refers to how much the tumor has grown/traveled from it's point of origin. Higher staged cancers have greater spread and need more aggressive treatment than lower staged cancers, but where the tumor started growing in the uterus matters, too. Tumors that start out near the neck of the uterus pose a greater risk for recurrence because of the thinness of the myometrium there and proximity to the cervix.

4.)You were diagnosed with a very treatable cancer, but at stage 2 and so it's been there and growing for awhile. That has resulted in you unfortunately falling into the exception category for needing to have radiation rather than just surgery, especially if you aren't having any chemo. The criteria (and you have all three) for that is:

• Greater than 50% myometrial invasion of the tumor. Yours is at 80%!
• Presence of Lympho-vascular invasion. This is a major concern for recurrence for this particular cancer.
• Origin of the tumor low in the uterus. Increases risk for pelvic recurrence.

I am so sorry that you are having such a hard time with the radiation therapy. I hope that the above helps you to better understand why it was prescribed for you. It doesn't explain every term in that report, but those are the critical points in it as regards your needing radiation. You can talk yourself out of going and take a chance, but I'd advise against that. I had to get some plain talk from dear ones on this site to get past my issues with radiation (stage 3a, grade 3) and I am so glad that I listened to them. At this point your cancer is curable and you don't want to blow that chance. Call your oncologist's office again and be that squeaky wheel or raise some Cain. You are in the midst of treatment, so this does qualify as an emergency. Do what you have to and don't feel guilty about it.

I would like to add that I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer and, like you, my tumor had invaded approximately 80% of the thickness of my myometrium. In addition, my tumor arose in the lower uterine segment. Finally, I had extensive lymphovascular invasion. My gynecologic oncologist, who was tops in his field and who patiently answered my endless questions, said I needed both internal and external radiation. I had the utmost trust in and respect for him and his knowledge and expertise. I completed the radiation on August 3, 1999, which means that in two weeks, it will be 24 years since I completed treatment.

So, obviously, I'm very happy to hear that you've been successful in getting your questions answered and are back on the radiation bandwagon! Incidentally, the only other cancer I've had since my endometrial cancer treatment was a basal cell carcinoma in my scalp last year, which had absolutely nothing to do with my radiation, but most likely was at least in part due to my daily swimming in a local pond near my childhood home.

Wow, MoeKay, 24 years! Phenomenal!

FreakingOutHere, I'm glad you got some answers and have resumed your radiation. I had brachytherapy (internal radiation) after my surgery with no real difficulties. I took probiotics to help minimize side effects.

When I had a recurrence and had external radiation, they gave me a prescription for the GI effects and suggested a bland, low residue diet in addition to the probiotics. As I was having concurrent low dose chemo, I had anti-nausea meds, but only had to use them once. They should be able to give you medications to help control the side effects. If they have a medication for fatigue, I don't know about that one!

Good luck and keep us posted!