Hi guys,
I’m new to the group. My mum had recently been diagnosed with the above. She had a post menopausal bleed. We assumed it was polyps. As it had been previously. But a biopsy gave her the diagnosis. Today we’ve been told the cancer is contained in her womb. They think it’s spread to 2 of her lymph nodes. But they can’t be sure of that until they operate. They said they are enlarged.
Full hysterectomy and lymph node removal has been suggested . Not sure if she’ll need chemo/ radio after. They said it depends on the lymph nodes.
It would be nice to hear from others and their journeys. Stupidly I looked on google over the weekend and was horrified.
Hi Dachshundowner
Welcome to the Womb group.
I am sorry to hear of Mum's diagnosis of serous cancer and understand what a worrying time it is.
I would advise staying away from google as the information is not necessarily accurate or up to date.
I will pop a link to some info that may be helpful.
Womb cancer booklet | Macmillan Cancer Support
Serous cancer is a similar type to the kind I was treated for. If you click on my name my profile will come up. I had a check up yesterday for 2 years post treatment and am doing ok.
The biopsy and scans that Mum has had will have given a provisional stage and grade and then after the hysterectomy the post op pathology will look at what is removed to confirm for sure. It is the post op pathology that will determine whether any further treatment is needed. There are also some genetic markers that are important. Serous cancer is a type 2, grade 3 cancer - along with the kind I had and it may well be an idea to be prepared that they may suggest some further treatment.
My hysterectomy was in April 2022 and I found it was a straightforward surgery, I had little pain and went home the next day. I recovered quickly.
I hope this helps a bit. If talking things through would help at any point then please do give the Support Line a call. In the meantime if there is anything you want to ask, please do so, there are a lovely bunch of ladies on here who will want to offer support to you and your Mum.
Jane
With most type 1 endometrial cancers the cancer cells begin to grow in the lining of the womb. The cancer cells (In grade 1 or 2) do not look much different to normal cells- so less of a change. They tend to be slow growing and there is less chance of spreading. They can spread but it takes longer. Often women get symptoms while they are still at an early stage. They can recur but usually have a lower chance of coming back. This however depends on lots of factors- stage and genetic markers are important.
The rarer type 2 endometrial cancers have cancer cells that look much more abnormal, they tend to grow more quickly and may have spread further at the time of diagnosis. They tend to have a higher chance of recurrence, hence most grade 3 cancers would be offered follow up treatment- even at stage 1. The follow up treatment is aimed at mopping up any stray cancer cells that may have been left behind but are too tiny to be seen on a scan. Any tiny cancer cells left behind, could in theory, in some women, in time, go on to set up elsewhere. This is why the lymph nodes are important. If cells get into the lymphatic system or blood then it can spread further afield.
So from how it was explained to me a stage 1a endometrial cancer that was early grade and contained would be less likely to need treatment other than surgery.
If the cancer became stage 2 where cells were found in the cervix then it would likely mean some radiotherapy.
Where there has been some spread outside the womb (stage 3/4) then chemo and radiotherapy may be considered.
But because the type 2/grade 3 cancers tend to be more aggressive, they treat them more aggressively- so normally offer follow up at stage 1. So for me I was stage 1b and the chemo and radiotherapy were about doing everything possible to prevent recurrence. So the trick for serous, carcinoma sarcoma and other grade 3 cancers is to find them early and treat then more aggressively from an early stage.
For me it has also meant 2 years of check ups post treatment and I was seen every 12 weeks.
This is how it was all described to me but there may be some difference between different hospitals. They also take into account the whole person, medical history and post op results.
There have been a few ladies on here recently who have had the abdominal surgery and although taken a bit longer to recover are managing well.
Hope this helps. If there is anything you want to ask, please do so. I know it can be scary to be told it is a grade 3 but it is still very treatable. Much of the treatment seems to be the same but done at an earlier stage.
I wish your Mum well with her surgery and hope her recovery goes smoothly.
Jane
