Uterine cancer... what's involved?

First of all I am sorry to hear that you and your grandmother are going through this scary experience.

The term “a lot of good tissue” regarding the uterus doesn’t really make a lot of sense to me and is of little use when it comes to staging uterine cancer.

Fact is, if there is cancer in the uterus the whole thing is removed anyway so how much cancer is in there really moot. It is also of little diagnostic value when determining if the cancer has spread because it doesn’t have to reach a certain size or saturation point before the cancer cells can be shed elsewhere.

If the cancer is completely contained in the uterus it is possible that hysterectomy will be all that is needed. During the surgery, the surgeon will send the uterus to pathology to be tested. Depending on what that pathology report says and what the surgeon observes in the abdominal cavity (they physically feel and look at all surrounding structures for any sign of cancerous growths) they will stop at the uterus and ovaries and possibly the cervix.

If there is any sign of it having spread they will be removing any additional cancerous growths and possibly a portion of the abdominal fat and bowel. This degree of what is required surgically is how they “stage” the cancer. Anything outside of the uterus and she will need chemotherapy.

Morbid obesity is a complicating factor in the mechanics of the surgery and also in the anesthesia. There are other things it can cause but those are the two major factors.

Have they performed CA-125 testing? What are they basing their conviction that it is uterine cancer on? Unless they did some sort of biopsy of the uterus it isn’t possible to know for certain if a growth is cancerous or benign. Even CA-125 testing isn’t conclusive as other factors, including the simple fact that you haven’t gone through menopause yet, can elevate it’s numbers into the “alarming range”.

I hope things go well for your grandmother and I’m glad she has you for support. Good luck.

I meant to add the link to a site that is better than your generic google search for getting real life experiences with uterine cancer and hysterectomy in general.

http://www.hystersisters.com/

@Merriment: I don’t know all the details.. my grandmother is sharp but when it comes to medical terminology, it all just gets muddled. I think she said the OB/GYN told her they were malignant… so I guess they must’ve biopsied whatever it was they saw.

She has been through menopause. In fact, that’s what took her to the doctor; she started spotting and it’s long enough past menopause that she shouldn’t have been. As for the test you asked about, I have no idea, and I doubt she would either. What I do know is that she’s going for a CT scan on Wednesday that she’s fasting for and drinking two tumblers of icky crap, and so far that’s all we know.

No issues because of her weight that I know of. If I were the person making the decisions, I would be sure the ovaries came out too. I’m assuming they are no longer producing estrogen. Ovaries are where sooo much cancer starts in females.

Her weight could be an issue in regards to surgery. The heavier you are the more risks.

I don’t know much about uterine cance, but I believe that is the cancer the actress Fran Drescher had, and she has been cancer free for years. I believe she had a hysterectomy. She wrote a book on her experience. She speaks a lot on her experience of misdiagnosis, but I think she also talks about her treatment and recovery. Here is a link I just found http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlight/2002/05/06-drescher.htm

I have no advice, but….sorry about your grandma.

@poofandmook – My first mistake was assuming that they hadn’t already done a uterine biopsy….

Since it sounds like they have done said biopsy the doctor saying there is “a lot of good tissue” makes sense and is good news. When this statement has been made following a biopsy then what they mean is that the number of cancer cells is lower than the number of normal endometrium cells. The lower the percentage of cancer cells the lower the “staging” number which is an indicator of the severity of the disease and the likelihood of recurrence.

Im really really really sorry about your grandma, but im really sorry, i dont know what to say, ill pray for her. Just tell her, uhh, take lots of vitamin c? Sorry

If they say the cancer is malignant then they probably have done biopsy of cervix and uterus to determine how much to remove along with the ovaries if she’s already gone through menopause. There’s always a chance cancerous cells can spread during the surgery. Sorry your grandma and family are getting to know this stuff.

@poofandmook: (((((hugs))))) I am sorry to hear that your grandmother is dealing with this.

I just had a sub-partial abdominal hysterectomy in April due to a huge fibroid. I am clinically, but not morbidly obese, so there weren’t many risks for anesthesia. They will do plenty of pre-admission testing – including blood work, chest x-ray and electrocardiogram in order to assess the risks. Prior to the surgery, family members with the same blood type can donate blood specifically for use with your grandmother, should she need any transfusion.

As described above, the ultrasound and other imaging techniques are still not the same as the physicians being able to examine the internal organs with their own eyes and hands. Anything and everything that they remove will go through pathology. In my case, the cervix and ovaries all looked good, so they only removed my uterus and left all else intact. I am premenopausal, so it was beneficial to keep the ovaries; but since your grandmother is past that point, it will probably be best for her to have a total hysterectomy.

Whether any additional cancer treatment will be needed after surgery can not be speculated. Recovery from the abdominal hysterectomy takes a long time, since they cut through the abdominal wall. I was discharged from the hospital after 2 days. They may want to monitor your grandmother a little longer than that. The pain wasn’t generally bad, but we use those muscles for more than we realize! I knew coughing and sneezing would hurt, but even laughing did the first few days. Rolling over in bed and getting up to go to the bathroom were also tough, because we engage our abdominals to sit up and twist, etc.

Our body also uses a lot of energy to rebuild those connections and to heal the scar, so you get tired very easily. It’s been nearly 6 weeks, and I just had my final follow-up today and am cleared to return to work tomorrow. I’m still not at 100%, but I feel quite close, and know that resuming normal activities will help me increase my strength and energy after a couple weeks. I bought scar cream that I applied to the scar staring a few days after the staples were removed. It really seemed to help ease the tightness and itching and the scar is barely red.

I’m sorry that I couldn’t offer more insight about your cancer concerns, but thought my recent experiences could help you know what to expect with the surgery. You and your grandmother are in my thoughts. And remember that I am here in NJ, too… so if there’s anything I can do to help, let me know. <3

@hearkat: Thank you so, so much.

I don’t know but thought I’d say…lots of love to you all involved xxx