Help!!!

 

On 2/1/2008 mom46 wrote:

I was diagnosed with stage 2b cervical cancer in oct '07.  Had 5 treatments of chemo, 5 1/2 wks of ext. Rad and 2 rounds of internal rad.   Got out of the hospital with last internal rad. On dec. 22, 2007.  Saw a gyn/onc on jan. 16th.  He did pap and pelvic and said the cells were either dead or still dying and that all looked good.  Pap came back as abnormal cells of undertermined significance, which is what it was when i was diagnosed.  This is very scary, but they are telling me that this is the way it will always read after radiation.    My question is does anyone know about pap smear results after radiation-how do you know if you still have the cancer and shouldn't they do further tests to make sure it is gone or hasn't spread?  Also, shouldn't he recommend a hysterectomy to prevent it from coming back.   

 

 

I had cervical cancer IIIb diagnosed a year ago (yesterday was the one year annivesary).  I also had 5 chemos, six weeks of external radiations plus eight more boosters and five brachytherapy (internal radiation) treatments.  Had a PET/CT scan in July 2007,  (my first three month follow-up appointment) and the doctor also did a Pap smear.  The doctor told me that if I ever go to a different doctor for a Pap smear, I must remember to tell the doctor that I underwent radiation therapy because the Pap smear cells will always look different than "normal" cells and the pathology lab might think the cells were cancerous.  So maybe that answers your first question?

I also asked about a hysterectomy.  The doctor said that a hysterectomy, at this stage of the game, could cause more harm than good because there is a strong possibility that surgery could perforate my bladder and/or rectum.

Maybe I'm just lucky, but the doctors I've had to see for treatment (one for the chemotherapy, one for the gynecology/oncology and one for the radiation) would always call me back or answer my emails quickly and respectfully.  I had one doctor call me on a holiday to give me some MRI results because she was going on vacation and knew I was anxious.  I've had another call me on a Friday evening and I've gotten emails within minutes of my email when I had questions.  These are incredibly busy doctors who work in one of the foremost teaching hospitals in the U.S., if not the world. 

 

 

On 2/1/2008 SydsMom wrote:

 

On 2/1/2008 mom46 wrote:

I was diagnosed with stage 2b cervical cancer in oct '07.  Had 5 treatments of chemo, 5 1/2 wks of ext. Rad and 2 rounds of internal rad.   Got out of the hospital with last internal rad. On dec. 22, 2007.  Saw a gyn/onc on jan. 16th.  He did pap and pelvic and said the cells were either dead or still dying and that all looked good.  Pap came back as abnormal cells of undertermined significance, which is what it was when i was diagnosed.  This is very scary, but they are telling me that this is the way it will always read after radiation.    My question is does anyone know about pap smear results after radiation-how do you know if you still have the cancer and shouldn't they do further tests to make sure it is gone or hasn't spread?  Also, shouldn't he recommend a hysterectomy to prevent it from coming back.   

 

 

I had cervical cancer IIIb diagnosed a year ago (yesterday was the one year annivesary).  I also had 5 chemos, six weeks of external radiations plus eight more boosters and five brachytherapy (internal radiation) treatments.  Had a PET/CT scan in July 2007,  (my first three month follow-up appointment) and the doctor also did a Pap smear.  The doctor told me that if I ever go to a different doctor for a Pap smear, I must remember to tell the doctor that I underwent radiation therapy because the Pap smear cells will always look different than "normal" cells and the pathology lab might think the cells were cancerous.  So maybe that answers your first question?

I also asked about a hysterectomy.  The doctor said that a hysterectomy, at this stage of the game, could cause more harm than good because there is a strong possibility that surgery could perforate my bladder and/or rectum.

Maybe I'm just lucky, but the doctors I've had to see for treatment (one for the chemotherapy, one for the gynecology/oncology and one for the radiation) would always call me back or answer my emails quickly and respectfully.  I had one doctor call me on a holiday to give me some MRI results because she was going on vacation and knew I was anxious.  I've had another call me on a Friday evening and I've gotten emails within minutes of my email when I had questions.  These are incredibly busy doctors who work in one of the foremost teaching hospitals in the U.S., if not the world. 

 

 

First and foremost I want to thank you for responding to me so quickly, when you have so much going on yourself.  You are a very strong woman and have been thru so much.  I have been searching for answers to my questions for some time and you were very helpful.  Maybe at my next appt.  they will do a pet/ct scan.  That will be in April and would have given the rad. enough time to be totally done, I think.  I'm assuming that is why he (the gyn/onc) didn't do anything in Jan. except a pap and pelvic.  Your docs were a lot more caring and loving than mine.  Can you say where you had your treatment?  I wish you the best of luck.

Thank you for your good wishes.  I got my Pap results back just the other day and I am happy to report that, after nine months, everything is still satisfactory.  I had the PET/CT scan right before my first follow-up appointment (in July 2007, three months after I finished treatment) and the doctor was so pleased that there was no evidence of disease.  So now I only get internal exams and Pap smears every three months and won't have a PET scan unless something changes.  It's always nerve-wracking waiting for the results.

I live in the Boston area and had my treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham and Women's Hospital which is affiliated with Harvard Medical School.  I've read about some women having bad experiences with the internal radiation treatments (brachytherapy), but luckily DFCI/BWH has one of the few brachytherapy machines in the country that can do the radiation on an outpatient basis, instead of being in the hospital for a couple of days at a time, flat on your back and unable to move.  I went in in the morning, was put under anesthesia, and four hours later I was in the recovery room and had a friend drive me home.  One week I had two brachytherapy treatments, one on a Monday and one on Wednesday. 

Good luck.  I'm glad I was able to address some of your concerns.