Hi
i I have 3c1 cervical cancer. 27mm tumour on cervix and 1 lymph node involved. Apparently the lymph node is around 1cm so the consultant said it’s ‘borderline’. I’ve not been able to find any success stories for 3c1 really. It’s all 1b1/2b. Is there anyone on here who had 3c1 and it’s not come back or gone elsewhere? I’m really starting to panic that this is it for me.
im to see oncology on 7 may. I originally went to the GP in January for symptoms.
I also have tomophobia.
Hi Julie
Recovered from my stroke? Yes, I’m fine now thanks. Hoping the consultant is happy when I see him in a couple of weeks-I have a holiday booked next month and don’t want to cancel! I recovered really well and I’m on permanent medication now, so I’m hoping that’s enough for him to say I’m fine! Thanks for popping back in to post. Sometimes when I tag people I don’t see them again, and many don't come on to the forum, but I understand that. So it doesn’t mean people aren’t doing well or are not a success story, just that they don’t post any more. Glad to see you’re doing well-I’m down to one check up/phone call a year now.
Sarah xx
The thing is, you are more likely to hear about people who have had problems post treatment or who suffer long term effects-but logically, they are more likely to be posting in cancer groups anyway.
It’s perfectly possible to have a normal life after treatment for a lot of women, so please don’t think you will be automatically be left with life long side effects. Always remember you are an individual and how you react to treatment is an individual thing.
What no-one can say is that cancer will definitely never return, not even a doctor. It would be good if we could say that but people at any stage can have a recurrence, not just stage 3. You have to hope that treatment will be a success, and I have known many women who have never had a recurrence.
Sarah xx
I was post menopausal so luckily I didn’t go through a surgical menopause. The radiation means it will be a consequence for you but personally I’d rather go through a surgical menopause than deal with cancer, because it couldn’t have been worse! I’m sure you’ll get advice from your doctors as you go through treatment and they will help you.
Sarah xx
Oh, that’s good news you don’t have so long to wait. Typically I would expect your consultant to go over your results, confirm the stage and which type of cervical cancer you have, and describe the treatment plan to you-length of treatment (ie how many weeks), type of chemotherapy, and perhaps go over the consent forms you need to sign for chemo and separately for radio.
Only ask about statistics if you really want to know, and don’t feel that this would worry you. For example I never asked because I didn’t want to know and I have been clear with the consultant surgeon I had when I had a recurrence never to tell me a prognosis. It’s a very individual decision whether you want that information. It’s not for everyone, and is always a guesstimate in any case.
The plans are pretty standard for cervical cancer treatment per international guidelines but there can be some adjustments for individual circumstances. For example some ladies might have chemo in a combination of 2 drugs prior to starting chemoradiation which uses a different chemo drug. You would be told if this is the case.
The number of radiotherapy treatments should be told to you-typically it is around 5 to 6 weeks of radiotherapy daily, Monday to Friday with a break at the weekends. I was scheduled for 25 sessions but ended up having 32, so not everyone is exactly the same.
On chemorads, the chemo used is Cisplatin and this is given once a week. It’s a long day on the day you have chemo because you have radiation too, so you’d need to be prepared for that. I’ve never known anyone to lose their hair on Cisplatin, as it’s a low dose to enhance the effectiveness of the radiation. If you need different chemo drugs before the chemorads, that would make you lose your hair.
Think about any questions you might want to ask the oncologist in advance, and don’t be afraid to ask them to repeat anything you’re not clear about. Good luck for tomorrow-one step closer to getting started!
Sarah xx
They might send you for bloods, but that’s not something the consultant would do at the appointment. They should be looking at “curative intent” at your stage, but they will not be able to say it will never come back-my cancer came back at stage 2b but I still consider myself a success story of surviving.
We all have the same fear of our cancer coming back I think, but that gets better the longer you are out from treatment. I don’t think the fear ever goes away completely, but you learn to put it out of your thoughts if you want to keep enjoying your life.
My cancer came back just 9 months out from successful treatment, and I found that second time more scary than my original diagnosis. But once I got over the fear, I was determined to face up to it and keep going, because there wasn’t any other option, and it’s better to have positive mindset. That really helps, and doctors have told me that.
So I don’t spend my days worrying that my cancer will come back-it might, but there’s nothing I can do about that. However, my recurrence happened in October 2019 and I’m still here and enjoying my life. I feel very grateful I’ve had the extra years since then and I’m not prepared to let cancer define me. Try not to focus on it coming back when you haven’t started your treatment yet.
Sarah xx
