Hi all, did you see the news recently about the Interlace trial which is using already existing treatment with a diffferent delivery pattern which achieves a 35% higher success rate for cervical cancer.
You have an induction course of 6 weeks of chemotherapy (carbo/taxel) then straight into chemo(cisplatin)/radio for 5 weeks. This was my regime then 2 weeks of brachytherapy.
I do remember my consultant saying there was new research and because of it, I would be having the maximum treatment they can give. My stage was 2B.
Is this the usual treatment plan that everyone has? I feel so lucky that on my last MRI, just after radio/chemo finished, the consultant and radiographer could not see any trace of the tumor. I’m wondering if it could be partly contributed to the induction chemo?
Hi Granny55 Val
I really hope you can cope with public transport and will manage. When I’d reached 3 weeks into my treatment, I had very unpredictable diarrhoea without warning or control, so public transport would have been impossible for me. My radiotherapy also meant I needed to have a full bladder so that too was very difficult for my own journey home. I needed to wear bladder pads like Tenas or otherwise I would have had an accident on the way home, despite going to the loo before I left the hospital.
The thing is, you can’t predict how you’ll feel until you start but I think you’re very brave trying to do this on public transport, especially with a lowered immune system from chemo. Radiotherapy was by far the most difficult part of treatment for me. You can ask your hospital to give you times for your radiotherapy which will suit you better, but on the days where you have chemo too, it will be a very long day for you.
Sarah xx
I wasn’t able to do the brachytherapy as the chemo induced a pulmonary embolism the night before I was due to be admitted for brachy, and it would have been dangerous for me to have the anaesthetic to insert the rods. I had to have an extra boost of radiotherapy so had another 7 sessions.. making 32 in all.
Many other ladies in the group have gone through the brachytherapy, some as an inpatient (which is what I was scheduled for) and others as an outpatient as there are different types of this treatment.
It might be a good idea for you to put up a new post in the group asking about this as posts can get missed in threads, and more people will read it. Do you know what type of brachytherapy you will be having?
Sarah xx
There’s lots of help and support for you in the group and we’ve experienced different treatments and effects so you can usually find someone who’s been through something similar to you. I’ve found this very helpful over the years.
Treatment is intense but can be very successful, and I wish you all the best with it.
Sarah xx
