I didn't have any idea what grade my cancer is/was until I got a copy of the doctor's letter. It is T4 N1 MO. It came as a bit of a shock. Any thrivers with this grade, please?
Hi Puddy, I wasn’t told either, I kept asking them, however just as I was going down to theatre to have my stoma which they said I needed, the surgeon told me I was Locally advanced T4 N1M0, i to was shocked that I wasn’t told, however I’m 4 months post treatment and doing really well, my first MRI results was that my tumour had shrunk considerably and they was very happy, I’m just waiting on my next MRI as I have an enlarged lymph node, however the oncologist told me that I still had a further three months for the treatment to work so hoping by the time my next MRI comes through we’re hoping that I’ll have an all clear so fingers crossed.
This exactly the same as me. I was told grading but the n1 was very late on in diagnosis so a shock when oncologist told me this (PET ct picked it up) . I didn't want to know the actual tumour size but was shocked when I read my paper work prior to treatment it was 7cm. It had advanced locally to vaginal tissue. 28 day of Chemoradiotherapy then a very nervous 3 month wait before 1st scans which both MRI and CT showed all clear. This was followed by an EUA 6 ish weeks later with biopsy also clear. There is hope. I have a stoma but I also have a fistula where tumour was, I need to see consultant to see what my next step is as I can't even consider reversal until fistula is sorted.
The treatment still works for those months after.
There is hope, I have my fingers crossed for you xx
Please don't worry; I belong to another forum (nothing to do with cancer) and often when people disappear it is because they are better and have moved on with their lives, so it may well be that other members on here with T4 diagnosis have been treated successfully. Please don't assume the worst, and I do hope your treatment is progressing well.
Just confirming not to confuse T4 with Stage IV as they’re quite different things! I did this when my letter arrived and got myself in quite a pickle!
T4 is the grade of tumour ie it has grown larger and through the bowel wall into other structures. My main tumour in first scan was approx was 5.7cm x 2.5cm (but when treatment started they said it was over 7cm) and I had a second tumour in my pelvic obturator but luckily for me this wasn’t classed as “spread” as it was a lymph node and in the same area but it had grown large enough 2.5x1.5xcm to be classed as a second tumour.
Did they give you a stage? I am Stage IIIc which although is literally the last stage before IV it still has an 80% cure rate if it doesn’t return within the first two years Stage I and II are very curable (though obvs with cancer no one can say never) and Stage IV is treatable not curable.
Luckily for us (ironically!) bowel cancer is a very treatable cancer so keeP positive!
N2 for me means it had reached 2 lymph nodes (which is the cancer trying to pass itself around your body) luckily it hasn’t made it any further thus far! I’ve got my first year scans in two weeks so I’m keeping all crossed. I have been scanned every 3 months probably because I was on the cusp of Stage IV but it’s more usual it seems to be a scanned every 6 months for first two years and then annually after that for another 3 years
Here is a helpful link from Macmillan explaining all the letters and grades etc I hope this helps
