Cancer Question Help Needed - Cancer: Uterine Message Board

francin · 01-17-2005, 03:58 PM

Hello;

I was diagnosed with Uterine Cancer (stage 2)just before Christmas and I am waiting for the hospital to call me with the date of my hysterectomy operation. I have spoken to many women who have had this and they all tell me that it's the most common Cancer in women and that after the operation I should be fine. I was resigned to this until my doctor told me that they have no way of knowing if the Cancer has spread to other parts of my body until they analyse the lymph-nodes after the operation, now I am driving myself crazy thinking I have it elsewhere maybe in my stomach. I am an over weight person and always had a big stomach but since I read that one of the symptoms of stomach cancer is swelling of the abdomen I keep thinking I might be swollen.

Since they seem to tell all women having this operation that they need to analyse the lymph-nodes to detect if the Cancer has spread, can someone tell me what the percentage is of women who have this operation and have it it spread elsewhere ? I am not sleeping nights worrying about this.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Thank you

Francine

trishpm · 01-18-2005, 11:58 AM

I waw diagnosed with endometrial (uterine) cancer in 1997, stage IIB. I had a hysterectomy and radiaiton treatment and the cancer hads not returned. If you have to have cancer, it's one that is more easily treatable than some others.

One of the risk factors for uterine cancer (the most common form is endometrial) is being overweight. Your doctor is right that they won't know if there is cancer in the lymph nodes near the uterus until the pathologist looks at them after your surgery. You have a good doctor if he is going to take lymph nodes out, too; some doctors don't bother. I hope that you are seeing a gynecological oncologist, or plan on seeing one for a second opinion. My regular gynecologist, who did my hysterectomy, listened to the gynecological oncologist and did scans/ultrasounds to make sure that the cancer had not spread far outside my uterus.

See http://www.oncologychannel.com/endometrialcancer/diagnosis.shtml and http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/endometrial for more information on endometrial cancer.

Marimac · 01-26-2005, 02:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by francin

Hello;

I was diagnosed with Uterine Cancer (stage 2)just before Christmas and I am waiting for the hospital to call me with the date of my hysterectomy operation. I have spoken to many women who have had this and they all tell me that it's the most common Cancer in women and that after the operation I should be fine. I was resigned to this until my doctor told me that they have no way of knowing if the Cancer has spread to other parts of my body until they analyse the lymph-nodes after the operation, now I am driving myself crazy thinking I have it elsewhere maybe in my stomach. I am an over weight person and always had a big stomach but since I read that one of the symptoms of stomach cancer is swelling of the abdomen I keep thinking I might be swollen.

Since they seem to tell all women having this operation that they need to analyse the lymph-nodes to detect if the Cancer has spread, can someone tell me what the percentage is of women who have this operation and have it it spread elsewhere ? I am not sleeping nights worrying about this.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Thank you

Francine

There truly is not anyway to tell from statistics whether or not your cancer is widespread or contained until after the doctors biopsy the area. But, I know a person who has had cancer and was diagnosed in 4th stage. She has had many operations to move the cancer as it was found. She has lived twice as long as the statistics said she would and she is still going strong. To look at her you would never guess she has had cancer and still does. Cancer is a condition. The treatment is not always a picnic, but it is not always a death sentence either. Statistics are good for raising funding for research, and to account for groups of cases, but it is primarily a private disease and you do not have to be one of the statistics, you can always be an outliar and rise above the numbers. Please remember you are NOT a statistic.

suggi · 03-11-2005, 10:08 AM

Trishpm
How do you find a gynacologist oncologist?????????????/

Thanks

Suggi

kcking · 06-29-2005, 08:16 AM

My mom's dr told her that if her uterine sarcoma is to far gone, she must see a gyno. oncologist. My mom is 58 and her uterus is HUGE. They are doing surgery as soon as next Thursday. She looks like she is carrying 3 babies in there. The tumors just grow like a baby and stretch that uterus out and in turn it makes your belly look HUGE!! Take care...