Hi Everyone hope you are all doing ok. Just wondered if anyone else has had radiotherapy. I was told initially that they do not use it for ovarian cancer. To cut a long story short diagnosed 2107 stage 4. Had chemo then surgery NED then mop up chemo then Avastin for 18 sessions. Finished Nov. 2018. Bloods in Oct 2019 showed CA125 rising. Had scan showed no evidence of disease but 3.4 cm lymph node in right groin. It is obvious to feel and sometimes annoying. I asked if I could have surgery or chemo to shrink/remove it and they had an MDT meeting and I am now going to have radiotherapy but just for 5 sessions to this 'huge' !! lymph node. They say I don't need chemo as there is nothing else for it to do and surgery could lead to lymphedema in leg. Has anyone else had this please. Regards
Liz x
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Hi Liz. I just got back from my Drs because of a large lump in my groin. He said ovarian cancer rarely moved to the inguinal modes so it could be something else. He said he could needle biopsy it, do a wait and see or do a CT scan that I was going to have done in August because it will be 5 yrs. But he does not feel it's the cancer but I AM curious about what it could be. He said if it was lymphoma, I would have let swelling and I don't and I've had this bump at least 3 months. It's hard, not moveable and about 1.5 inches big. So I am now waiting for my CT scan appointment and we'll go on from there. Good luck and keep me updated.
Hi Thanks for reply. I asked my oncologist if it could be lymphoma and she said no but that there probably was some cancer cells in the node. Mine is moveable and rubbery in feel but my CA125 was rising so I guess mine is ovarian related. I have also had mine since May last year but it has got bigger. Hope yours is nothing to worry about after your scan. We will keep in touch with each other. Liz
Hello Liz, i am actually about to start radiotherapy next week. I have a large swelling in the left supraclavicular lymph node in my neck. It first occurred in 2017 with my first recurrence of ovarian cancer. I had carbo/gem for this treatment which did shrink the lymph node. But gradually the lymph node swelling came back and is now quite a size. They are going to target the lymph node with 10 rounds of radiotherapy. I had an appointment earlier this week for a CT scan and was marked up ready for radiotherapy next week.
I am also going to be given chemo - carbo Caelyx next week as I also have other areas of cancer. I have been overwhelmed with all the appointments coming in thick and fast as I have to have the radiotherapy at a different hospital to my chemo. And one day next week I will be having both chemo and radiotherapy on the same day! I know it’s going to be tough going but I just tell myself it’s got to be done.
I was also wondering myself Liz if others had had radiotherapy with ovarian cancer as I haven’t heard anyone mention it myself. It would be good to hear if others had this treatment and how they coped with it.
Hi Liz, I haven’t had radiotherapy but was told by another oncologist (after I had surgery for recurrence in one para aortic lymph node) that radiotherapy could have been given instead of the major surgery I had. Maybe it’s considered if you only have one area of recurrence? Just wondering do you have PET scan to confirm recurrence? Good luck 😊
Hi Thanks for reply. Hope you are doing OK. I have never had PET scans but the CT scan I had in October showed just the lymph node and I was then on watch and wait and then the CT scan I had in January showed that there was not evidence of disease but the inguinal lymph node had grown to 3.4cms and my CA125 was up to 58 which is high for me. The oncologist said it would be major surgery so radiotherapy was the better option. Liz
Hi Liz, I had five sessions of Radiotherapy last November in left side of my pelvis and groin. Had it because the tumour/s were pressing on a lymph gland in groin, causing Lymphoedema. My leg and foot had badly swollen but now it is much better. I do wear compression tights inydoors but not when I go out. Hope this helps. Good luck with the Radiotherapy - there's nothing to be scared off. Just a bit of extra tiredness and slight nausea now and then and bowels didn't misbehave, as warned of, thankfully.
I was dreading feeling really embarrassed but my hospital lend you a pair of cotton trackie bottoms, which you give back after session 5. I lay on the 'table' with them on, then they'd cover me with a sheet from the waist down and I just had to wiggle pants and trackie bottom down until they were just below my bottom. All very discreet 🤗
I'm a bit puzzled as to why they're not offering surgical removal of the lymph node - 18 months after my original major surgery, I had 4 lymph nodes removed from the right groin area - the options were radiotherapy or surgery. Yes, there is a risk of lymphodaema or lymphocysts with removal, but I went for the surgical option in preference to radiotherapy. I was only in hospital for two and a half days for that little surgery and it was not considered 'major' surgery, but minor surgery, so maybe there's some other reason why they don't want to remove the node.
As for someone else reporting being told it was unusual for ovarian cancer to invade inguinal lymph nodes, that's certainly not been my experience - I found the cancer myself in the first place because I had a swollen inguinal lymph node. During the first major surgery, they removed that plus a tumour on the pelvic wall, ovaries, womb, tubes, cervix, 15 cm of bowel and the greater omentum because the cancer was there too. None of it was noticeable or giving me symptoms other than the large swollen lymph node. Then it popped up again in inguinal lymph nodes on the other side, so I'm unconvinced by that particular doctor's statement to Mommo65 above...
Radiotherapy is a targeted therapy for a particular area of cancer confined to one area - if the cancer is more widespread, then chemo is used.
I hv a massive tumour in my left inguinal node and had a large dose of radiotherapy for 5 days on the trot last May. I then had another dose on just one day in Aug. Both treatments helped reduce the size of tumour. I have other tumours in the abdominal area so I'm currently having chemo for those.
Good luck with your treatment and stay positive, if you can. Gina x
Hi Thanks everyone for all your help I guess I am not the only one having radiotherapy which is nice to know. My problem now is staying well for the next two weeks before I start it. Hope you all escape this nasty coronavirus. Liz xx
My wife's had a swollen right inguinal lymph node for a few months now. CT last week showed it 2.8cm. CA125 is 10.9, up from 9.1, 5 months ago.
Her Dr asked for a needle biopsy. When we asked about his treatment plans if the node is malignant he said he'd aggressively and systemically treat it with chemo as opposed to targeted radiotherapy.
Our preference is to use radiotherapy on the single node now and if it there is another recurrence down the road we would still have the chemo option available to us.
Anyways, let's see what the biopsy will find. If positive for recurrence then we'll probably get a second opinion.
Hi Worried Husband that is what my oncologist said that as there is just the lymph node to treat at the moment and the radiotherapy would shrink and hopefully kill the cancer cells they would rather keep the chemotherapy for when I really need it. Liz
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