On 5/24/2008
new patient wrote:
Three day ago my daughter was diagnosed with SCC. She is going in for a hysterectomy in a couple days. We haven't received the results for the staging yet, but are hoping for the best from what I've read. She's 21 and a very strong kid. Any recommendations for research while going through this tornado? She'll be coming to California and receiving treatment at UCLA and we're hoping this is our best option. Can anyone recommend anything?
The best advice I can give you is to ask questions and go with your gut. Small cell of the cervix is very rare. It happens in less than 1% of of cervical cancer cases. It usually originates in the liver, lung, and brain.......not the cervix. All the research that I did when I was diagnosed convinced me that having surgery (a hysterectomy) before I started treatment was not a good idea. Small cell responds extremely well to chemo therapy coupled with radiation. The question I asked was "if this were in my liver , lung, or brain, would we be operating or going straight into treatment?" The answer was "they would not operate". So why would I let them give me a hysterectomy before treatment? I was in treatment within 8 days of diagnosis. I am not making any suggestions as to what to do. Talk to your health care providers. Not a lot is known about the treatment or prognosis of this SCC. Dig and ask and then go with what your heart is saying. Have her eat well. Have her get plenty of rest, and have her laugh her rear-end off at least once a day. I have been completely cancer free for more than a year. I spent 8 months in treatment. The fact that I am cancer free at all is huge. Take care and I would love to hear how your daughter is doing. My thoughts are with you both.