How long to wait for radiotherapy after surgery?

Hi KT89

Normally any further treatment starts 6 weeks after surgery. I had chemo first and was called in to discuss the treatment about 5 weeks after surgery. It started around a week later. With my radiotherapy, I was called in before the last cycle of chemo to talk about the risks and side effects etc. I had a planning scan and then had to wait 3 weeks for the radiotherapy to be planned and to recover from the last cycle of chemo. My first actual radiotherapy started about a month after last chemo. 

There can be variations where you live but they do seem to like to get on with it. I would imagine you will be given an appointment around 5 weeks post surgery and then they will talk you through it all. 

Hope you recovery from the op is going well.

Jane

Jane, I’d respectfully disagree with you about it being “normally” 6 weeks for any treatment. I think it varies depending on your own hospital’s target time, and may also depend on how urgent it is. I think chemo may typically be started sooner than radio. My own hospital’s target was for radio to be started within 12 weeks of surgery - my oncologist explained that to me at my first consultation, but I didn’t get my start date till my planning CT appointment. My radio started 11 weeks after my op.

Hi KT89

my hysterectomy was on the 23rd June and radiotherapy was due to start on the 29th August. They told me I had the POLE mutation on the 24th August and that’s when they said I wouldn’t need radiotherapy.

Linda

KT89 my surgery was at the end of June (2017) and my radiotherapy started in the middle of September.  I am sure it varies, but I think within around 12 weeks is probably preferable.  I had a bad cold at the time and phoned to ask if I should delay it and they said no so I had to lay still without coughing for the first few appointments! 

Hope all goes well for you xx

No problem Marmitefan

For my hospital it was normally 6 weeks for any follow up treatment but understand it can be different for different hospitals. Before my surgery I was told if I needed radiotherapy they would do it at 6 weeks.

But I suppose that would be when the planning scan took place so by the first session it would be 2/3 weeks later. 

I think I was very fortunate to have the treatments done quickly.

Jane

Hello Lin0506 

They are doing the POLE test on me too. It sounds like having the POLE mutation is a good thing. 

Did they explain why radiotherapy was not needed? 

Many thanks 

Hi KT89

as far as I understand the POLE mutation is a good thing, apparently it has a better prognosis than the same tumour without the mutation. My consultant told me that adjuvant radiotherapy wouldn’t make any difference and therefore would not be necessary. I have just reread her letter and this is what I was told ‘Tumours with a POLE mutation have an excellent prognosis even though they often display high risk characteristics such as high grade or LVSI involvement. The current guidelines for stages 1 and 2 endometrial cancer state that no adjuvant treatment is necessary’

i am being followed up with 3 monthly CT scans , I guess this would be standard procedure, my consultant also said that if there were to be anything horrible in the future that immunotherapy would probably be the first line of treatment.

I hope this helps ! My POLE results came about 9 weeks after surgery. 

Linda

Thank you so much for sharing that. It is so helpful. I hope I have a POLE mutation now! Best wishes.