Advanced Cervical Cancer - Treatment Plan?

Cervical cancer post treatment and side effects
1

Hi

My mum is currently in hospital following surgery to remove a tumour in her bowel. Within a month the lypmh nodes were rased and we were told the bowel cancer was aggressve and things didn't look good. My mum had cervical cancer last year and was unable to have a radical hysterectomy but had six weeks of daily radiotherapy and 3 bracytherapy. At Christmas we were told she had responded well and things were looking good.

Two weeks ago the doctors called back and said that they didn't think the ;ymph nodes were raised because of the bowel cancer, but that the cells were more typical of cervical cancer and that it wasn't associated with the bowel cancer and it was just co-incidental that the lymph nodes reacted at that time. So it appears that my mum is unfortunate to have bowel cancer surgery only to be followed by the cervical cancer making a return.

We are now facing further treatments, something we know little about for cervical cancer at this stage. My mum is still very weak and thin at this time following the bowel cancer surgey so we are not in a postion to start chemotherapy or other potential treatment.

We have been told very little about a treatment plan as my mum has only very briefly met an oncologist who came to see her at her bedside.

If cervical cancer is present in the lymph nodes, what treatment is likely? And we have read a lot about Avastin - is this licenced for use in the UK?

 

Any advice would be gratefully received. Thank you. 

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Sorry to hear about your mum Lorraine she is having a very rough time by the sounds of it. When I had the recurrence last year I got avastin with cisplatin and paclitaxel, but now I think it's funding has been cut which is a total shame as I don't think I'd be sitting where I am today if it wasn't for this drug. Really hope you get a plan for your mum soon as the waiting is the worst x

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Hi Lorraine :-)

I just wanted to add that I don't believe for a single moment that the funding for Avastin would have been cut if there weren't something else equally effective on the market. I am sure that your mum will receive the best treatment possible for her situation.

Be lucky :-)
Tivoli

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Hi, I was diagnosed with advanced cancer on the 3rd March this year and I have just completed my treatment. My cancer was so large it has caused a hole in my bladder which I still have, it spread to my lymph nodes and started to spread to my kidney tubes. Due to this I have had stents put into my kidneys which go into and sit in my bladder which cause there own issues! My treatment plan was 7 sessions of chemo, 5 at 3 weeks apart then another 4 each week but the chemo made me so poorly I stopped after a further 2 sessions, I have also had 28 sessions of radiotherapy and 3 sessions of bracatherpy which I finished on Thursday. My chemo was very intense as I lost all my hair and become so poorly with sickness I have gone from a size 16 to a size 6 over the last 8 months I am still fighting to put the weight back on at the moment.

Since I have begun my treatment I have been told that it is working and that the cancer has now shrunk to the size of a pea but no mention of my lymph nodes so I am assuming the same has happened with them or the cancer has been killed from there. Your mum is going through a lot at the moment and my heart goes out to her - I wish her the best.

The doctors will be speaking to see what is best for your mum as being strong enough to fight this is just as important as the treatment - it's hard to stay positive but you've got to beleive that she has it in her to fight this and that the doctors will be doing what is best for your mum re her body and treatment.

Please keep us updated xx