Size of tumor

Hi mg042721, 

My tumour was 2cm in diameter but only 2mm deep & I was stage 1, only the scans will tell of any lymph node involvement unless on physical examination your Dr’s could feel them in your groin which I’m presuming they would have told you if they had. There are people here that have had tumours a lot bigger & have had great results with treatment.

At this stage it’s just constant stress & worry & you’re asking the questions I’m sure that we all did at the stage you’re at. Once you’ve had your scans etc., hopefully a treatment plan will be put into place & you’ll start getting your head around it all, there’s so much information to take in at the beginning on top of the diagnosis itself it’s a really, really tough time. 

Nicola 

Thank you for your reply, Nicola. You are so right. This is a very tough time! I have been searching the internet  to learn more about this disease. I thought maybe I could find some correlation between tumor size and likelihood of spread but I don’t see anything. I guess it is encouraging that the tumor isn’t any bigger than it is. I realize that so many people have tumors much bigger. I think I will feel better knowing exactly what the diagnosis is what the plan will be. I am from a small town and have been going to the local hospital. I believe I will get a second opinion when it comes down to the treatment plan, just so I know that we’re following the most recent guidelines. I hope for the best for us all!

Hi mg042721 I'm not sure if you're from the UK, but regarding treatment  the Nigro Protocol is followed ie the standard treatment is 5,5 weeks of chemoradiation. As anal cancer is a rare cancer, you may be referred to a regional treatment centre for treatment. I was transferred from my local hospital to another hospital which was the regional treatment centre as they had anal cancer specialists there.  I hope you don't have long to wait until you have your scans but please bear in mind that even if there has been spread to the lymph nodes this doesn't mean that treatment won't be effective. Bev 

Hi mg042721

My tumour was 7cm and I had 3 enlarged lymph nodes, one over 3cms but it had not spread to other parts and the treatment has eradicated the tumour and lymph nodes back to normal. So have faith, the treatment works. I hope you get your treatment plan soon and remember we are all here to help and answer questions. The unknown is scary and this forum really helps.... Ruth X