Hi
Hoping for some advice, I've had staging today and I'm 1b2 but the tumour is 3.9cm according to MRI so consultant suggested he thinks surgery okay but as cut off 4cm may need chemo/radiation and reluctant to do both. I spoke with CNS and she says I can have some input given uncertainty between two. I wonder has anyone had surgery and tumour bigger so then need radiation/chemo?
Many thanks:)
Hi Keyowni
It’s difficult when there is some doubt about what the best plan is-makes things harder for you when they don’t just tell you “this is definitely what we’re going to do”.
I had a different situation since I couldn’t have the radical hysterectomy at my stage of 2b, even though my tumour was just slightly smaller than yours, so chemoradiation was the only option for me.
However there are ladies in the group who had the hysterectomy and then chemoradiation after.
Did your consultant give you the reason why he was reluctant for you to have both surgery and chemoradiation?
What I would say is that it is easier to have chemoradiation after surgery rather than before it in my experience, because radiotherapy can cause your organs to stick together inside which can make future surgery difficult. My surgeon did attempt a hysterectomy when my cancer recurred, but I had to be stapled up again without it being done as my radiotherapy damage was too great.
I hope some of the other ladies who’ve been in the same situation will come along and share their experiences with you. Do you personally have a preference on what you would like to happen?
Sarah xx
