Clear cell cancer

I was very recently diagnosed with endometrial cancer. When I was at the doctors office, I didn't even know what questions to ask.  I called today and when I pressed the technician for a "type" of cancer, she said it said clear cell and she would have the doctor call me next week to discuss.  What I can find about clear cell is not encouraging.  Any info?  Thank you so much!

I was diagnosed with clear cell Dec. 22, 2008.  After a radical hysterectomy, the pathology showed it was stage IIIc.  Clear cell is part of the type II, more rare type of endometrial cancer.  Only about 3% of endomentrial cancers are type II. They are more aggressive and are generally treated like ovarian cancer.  I had a second opinion, and both gynocological oncologists agreed that you should pursue very aggressive treatment.  Please remember you can be cured.  Forget the statistics - what's important is what happens to you.  I am having 6 rounds of chemotheraphy with taxol and carboplatin; I've just finished the 4th round and have tolerated it well.  The secret is plenty of hydration to flush out the toxins.  After I finish chemo, I will have 28 sessions of radiation.  The treatment I'm having is pretty standard; the doctors may disagree on whether you have radiation first or chemo, but will most always recommend both.  I highly recommend you have both, assuming you can tolerate it.  My CA 125 is down to 4.2, and I feel sure the chemo is working.  I've also tried to follow a diet to help my liver, since the chemo is hard on the liver - lots of raw foods, no refined sugar or processed foods, little to no meat or dairy products.  God bless you as you make decisions about your treatment. 

I start treatment Monday for Clear cell Cancer Stage III c Monday.  I was just wondering how you are tolerating the treatment.  Do you have any words of advice? 

 

 

On 7/4/2009 PeggyTexas wrote:

I start treatment Monday for Clear cell Cancer Stage III c Monday.  I was just wondering how you are tolerating the treatment.  Do you have any words of advice? 

 

Peggy, I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis.  Have you had your surgery already?  Six rounds of chemotheraphy with taxol and carboplatin are the standard treatment  together with 28 radiation treatments (sometimes 2-3 internal treatments as well).  I had chemo first and tolerated it well as far as chemo goes.  The biggest problem was the drop in my white blood count and neutrafils after the first treatment.  But they fixed that with two booster shots and then always had me take the Neulasta shot the day after I received my chemo.  That worked well for me and kept my counts high throughout.  Some people have body aches and fatigue from the Neulasta shot, but I didn't.  I was able to avoid most of the other nasty side affects by drinking 2 to 3 liters of Smart Water everyday to keep the toxins flushed.  My oncologist also recommended taking L-Glutamine and a B-complex to help with the other symptoms.  I used both Emend and Ondasetron and was able to prevent nausea.  You take the Emend for three days but must start it one hour before chemo for it to work.  I had alot of heartburn with the steroids they give you before and during chemo.  I learned to start the Prilosec the morning of chemo to control that, and I also used a Probiotic Complex to help my digestion.  The fatigue does build up over the course of the treatments.   I began to really feel it by the fourth treatment, and you just need to take the naps you need.  If you can tolerate exercise, that really helps with the fatigue as well as long as you also get the rest.  Even just walking will be good, but I also continued my Yoga and aerobic dance as much as I could. 

Now I've had my 7th of 28 radiation treatments, and so far, so good.  But you don't usually feel side affects at first.

I hope they told you about hair loss with the chemo.  You will definitely lose your hair about 19 days or so after the first treatment.  My scalp hurt during that time to add insult to injury, but that was temporary!  Somehow you think your hair will just all fall out one day, but it wasn't that way with me.  It was more gradual over about 7 days. 

I'm happy to answer any other questions as you think of them.  You'll be in my prayers as you begin treatment.  God bless.  Sharon

 

On 7/5/2009 woofgang wrote:

 

On 7/4/2009 PeggyTexas wrote:

I start treatment Monday for Clear cell Cancer Stage III c Monday.  I was just wondering how you are tolerating the treatment.  Do you have any words of advice? 

 

Peggy, I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis.  Have you had your surgery already?  Six rounds of chemotheraphy with taxol and carboplatin are the standard treatment  together with 28 radiation treatments (sometimes 2-3 internal treatments as well).  I had chemo first and tolerated it well as far as chemo goes.  The biggest problem was the drop in my white blood count and neutrafils after the first treatment.  But they fixed that with two booster shots and then always had me take the Neulasta shot the day after I received my chemo.  That worked well for me and kept my counts high throughout.  Some people have body aches and fatigue from the Neulasta shot, but I didn't.  I was able to avoid most of the other nasty side affects by drinking 2 to 3 liters of Smart Water everyday to keep the toxins flushed.  My oncologist also recommended taking L-Glutamine and a B-complex to help with the other symptoms.  I used both Emend and Ondasetron and was able to prevent nausea.  You take the Emend for three days but must start it one hour before chemo for it to work.  I had alot of heartburn with the steroids they give you before and during chemo.  I learned to start the Prilosec the morning of chemo to control that, and I also used a Probiotic Complex to help my digestion.  The fatigue does build up over the course of the treatments.   I began to really feel it by the fourth treatment, and you just need to take the naps you need.  If you can tolerate exercise, that really helps with the fatigue as well as long as you also get the rest.  Even just walking will be good, but I also continued my Yoga and aerobic dance as much as I could. 

Now I've had my 7th of 28 radiation treatments, and so far, so good.  But you don't usually feel side affects at first.

I hope they told you about hair loss with the chemo.  You will definitely lose your hair about 19 days or so after the first treatment.  My scalp hurt during that time to add insult to injury, but that was temporary!  Somehow you think your hair will just all fall out one day, but it wasn't that way with me.  It was more gradual over about 7 days. 

I'm happy to answer any other questions as you think of them.  You'll be in my prayers as you begin treatment.  God bless.  Sharon

 

I have taken notes

I was diagnosed with clear cell endometrial cancer after I had a 5 day period and went into the doctor for an endometrial biopsy. I had been having a terrible premenopause starting at 40. I was having up to 50 hot flashes a day, sweating all of the time. It made the patients I was caring for a bit nervous (I have been a registered nurse for the last 35 yrs.) I would have to tell them it was just hot flashes. 3 years ago I was diagnosed with a very early breast cancer when I had a routine mammogram. After 3 lumpectomies I had chemo x6 and 7 wks of radiation and all well except fatigue and mouth sores. I have been clear of breast CA since. 

I was diagnosed with clear cell the middle of May and had a total hyterectomy the first wk of June.  They took out everything I would'nt be needing any more. I am a Kaiser pt in N. California. I was lucky the Kaiser has 5 OB/GYN oncology surgeons in Sacramento I live an hr north of San Francisco) when there are only 600 of this kind of Doctor in the US.

I was classified with a stage 1a grade 3 tumor. My surgeon was very clear that I should have 6 rounds of Taxol/Cisplatin. Then he wants 7 weeks of radiation and 4 of the internal radiation. My oncologist that I had for my breast CA is following me here. After my husband and I talked to my doctor for an hour and a half we decided that I would do the whole treatment because if it came back there would be little they could do. Also I read the info on line and this is a really very, very  scary cancer.

Today I finished chemo #4. I have been having troubles with dizziness, nausea and very low white blood cells and I am pretty anemic. At about 2 weeks handfuls of hair were falling and it was making me crazy so my husband shaved my head! He shaves his head too-we are going to have a portrait taken and use it for our Christmas card. I almost had my chemo put off today because of my labs that were drawn on Friday so I had them redone today and the labs were just over the cutoff. I am able to handle all of this but I am not looking forward to the radiation. When I put pelvic radiation in Google it came up with alot of info and some suggestions on how to tol it. One thing I learned when I had breast CA was about Mama Meryl's healing salve. It is made up of herbs and oils and beeswax. With this salve I didn't get any peeling or redness in the 7 wks of radiation. It is made locally and I get at a local health foods store.

My sister had rectal and had a terrible time with skin burning and peeling (that was before I heard of this salve) and also lots of diarrhea. Also when I had radiation before after about 3-4 wks I got fatigue that was worse than anything I had ever experienced before. It took alot to get up everyday and get dressed to go to radiation.

I have rattled on enough!  

Ellen-Sonoma County CA