Tumour still there

Hi, Congratulations on completely your treatment! I too was stage T2 and my tumor had not completely shrunk after treatment! My Radiation Oncologist explained as you said, the radiation continues to work for several months after Treatment and On my second scan it was gone! 

I am now 6 years cancer FREE PRAISE THE LORD, so rest easy my Friend! You have been through alot in a short period of time and as I always felt, my emotions were like a rollercoaster ride! 

Keep us posted on your follow-up. 

Kind Regards, Theresa

It is inevitable that you will think this. I could feel mine after my treatment, but at my first check up it had gone. You will have a lot of scar tissue from your treatment, that will feel as if there is something there. 

You have gone through the worst. Stay strong, don’t worry!  We’ve all been there. You will be fine. 

Best wishes. 

Pam 

Thank you so much for your reply- it's very helpful and I feel better now. 6 years cancer free, so good, am pleased for you. Long may it continue x

Thank you, feeling relieved from the replies. My mind's working overtime atm. x

Hi 1in1500,

Congratulations on completing your treatment & getting on the road to recovery. 

You've already had a couple of great replies from Amazing Grace & Lady Tourelle, I’ll just reinforce what they’ve both said about the radiotherapy continuing doing its thing for some months after your final treatment & that the internal inflammation caused by the radiotherapy can last for quite some time too! The internal inflammation was quite an issue for me in the early days!

It’s really difficult not to let your thoughts run away with you at times but sit tight (no pun intended!) you still have another couple of months until your scans & a lot can happen in those few weeks. 

Please keep posting here if you feel you need some support we’re always here.

Nicola 

Please don't panic and worry, although I know why you are doing.  My  tumour was 68 x 55 MMS as written on the biopsy results!  Wasñt even aware of what that meant at the time!  My tumour was perianal/perineal so the diagnosis was a bit questionable as to where the tumour had started - front or back!  After successful radio/chemo it started to shrink quite quickly.  I still have an external tag which worried me at the start - but 5 1/2 years later it is still there so I am reassured that this is quite normal (for people like us after chemo/radio).  I don't worry about it - feel that it is just a reminder that my treatment was successful and I am still here!  I also have the odd bleed from my back passage, but have been assured that this is tananglietes (surface blood cells which are very fragile). Enjoy you new life after cancer treatment.  Problems will occur whether you look for them or not.  Have lymphoedema in my left ankle since 2016, but it isn't very noticeable (only size 4 shoe and very thin ankles).  Please don't anticipate problems, my consultant told me that APR was the last resort and that she would question whether to do it.  Perhaps that was because I was 68 years old.

Final comment, throughout my 5 years only had DREs!  Consultant said that he preferred to rely on feel rather than pictures!  Glad I went with his instinct - I am living proof that he was right in my case.  Might be different for others.  Mxx

Thanks to Nikki65 and Happylady for your replies. I'm positive about 95% of the time about the treatment but there's always those questions that eat away at you. I'm so grateful for the support of this group. x 

Hi 1in1500

I totally understand your anxiety. Once we’ve finished treatment and got through those first few weeks of healing our minds shift, all we want is for the treatment to have worked and for the tumor to be gone. 

Radiation is a powerful thing and during treatment, accumulates slowly. The real work is done post-treatment and as others have mentioned, this stuff continues to work for up to a year. AC tumors are slow growing so can be quite stubborn to get rid of but in the majority of cases, they do melt away eventually.

My tumor was 4cms and post treatment I was too scared to feel around incase I felt it. I remember plucking up the courage in the shower around 8 weeks and was really encouraged when I couldn’t feel anything.

Whilst its common for people to have a complete response to treatment at 3 months, its also common that a mass can still be present. I remember my oncologist saying “don’t panic if there’s still something there” By the time my scan results came around, I was so convinced they’d still something there, that I was in utter dis-belief when he told me it had completely gone. 

I’m not a fan of cancer stats, but I do like the stats for this treatment, 80-85% effective. Just for some of us it takes a little longer than the 3 months.

Try not to think about APR’s whilst this is a scary thought for all AC patients, it really is only done as a last resort. Even then, APR’s offer a permanent cure and people are still able to live their lives afterwards.

Each time you have a ‘what if’ thought about your tumor, squash it by telling yourself IT WILL BE GONE, say it out loud if you need to. This can really help your mindset whilst you’re edging closer to your scans.

Always come on here when you’re feeling anxious, there will always been someone who will make you feel better.

Sarah x

Thank you Sarah that’s very re-assuring and helpful x