I have just retuned from an appointment with the surgeon, I have peritoneal cancer and not ovarian cancer as first thought. My ovaries are fine, no lumps or masses anywhere, and I have responded excellently to chemo-( I have now had four) and my Ca125 is down to 15, after third one-he feels that surgery is not beneficial as the tumour has shrunk by more than 50% with chemo and that chemo is more important, as surgery will delay chemo, and there is always the chance of seeding. He also says that NICE guideline state there is no added benefits in the 5 yr survival rate with surgery-I have to think about what to do-I am not sure at present which way to opt-either surgery or 2 more chemo,s then scan and review.
Difficult descisions!!
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Kaskin
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I to have Peritoneal cancer, had chemo just Carboplatin and have had a three year
remission, it has just come back and is showing that I have Prominent Lymph Nodes,
they are just watching me at the moment, but the worry is a CA125 of 975 now and
nothing more showing on the scans !!!
You are doing fine on the chemo, so hang on in there.
The reduction is your tumour is good so what will the chemo do when you have finished
your course.
Thinking of you.
luv trish x
Hi Kaskin,
Good news that your tumour has shrunk...it is a tough decision to make...perhaps you need to discuss it further with your oncologist or specialist nurse..write all your questions down before you do this..you might then be clearer in your mind which way to go..I am sending you my best wishes love x G x
Good news that the chemo is working so well! A difficult decision re the surgery but, if the chemo is working it may be a case of " leave well alone". We each have to make our own decisions and each case is unique but I got serious post op abscesses after my 1st surgery in 2010 and, within a year I had a new tumour. It was on the site of one of the abscesses. They keep saying there was no connection but I can't help wondering about "seeding" on the abscess site and I now have a colostomy! Having said that I am currently in remission (9 months so far) and coping well!
Thinking of you supportively as you consider your options!
Why would surgery delay chemo? Could you not have it after your course of chemo finished? I had major surgery in July after finishing chemo 7 weeks earlier. I didn't respond well to chemo however but if your final scan is not completely clear I would be thinking about surgery. Good luck with it all x
I to have primary peritoneal cancer. It also affected my right ovary & omentum so I had 5 chemo's followed by a radical hysterectomy then 2 more chemo's. I have been in remission since June. I would seriously think about not having surgery if you are responding so well to the chemo, my CA 125 was down to 34 AFTER the op & 5 chemo's so you are doing really well!
Good luck whatever you decide, but at the end of the day it is your decision.
I also have peritoneal cancer and have only been offered chemo as i was told that that I was not really suitable for surgery as I had no significant tumours and my cancer has already spread to the Lung. It is interesting to hear you are being offered a choice on the matter as I was worried that as I was not not being offered surgery I would have less chance of recovery than other who were having it. I suppose we can only go with the advice we receive on our individual cases. Would surgery still be available later if necessary? If so could you not bide your time? Either way it sounds like you are doing well.
Its so good to hear when chemo works for people, your tumour has shrunk and thats amazing news.
Its good your team are consulting you, but it does put a lot of pressure on you doesnt it! Of course you want to make the right choice, but there isn't really a right or wrong decision as cancer is a trial and error kind of illness... What works for one does not always work for someone else. The only thing I would say is, your chemo is working and it seems your team want to keep going with that whilst they have the cancer on the run! You have to have faith in your team, listen to them and have a chat with a Macmillian nurse to get things clearer in your head and ask lots of questions before you decide.
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