What treatment have people had for stage 1 cervical cancer?
I was staged as 1b1 with no node involvement and was treated with 6 cisplatin, 25 radiotherapy and 4 brachytherapy.
I think it depends on individual cases - im 1b1 at mo but got op tomorrow to check bladder, bowels & cervix - theyre going to try another loop excision & a cone biopsy but if spread or any other problems will probably be trachelectomy/hysterectomy & maybe chemo/radio. Got MRI/CT scans Tues as well then results 3 days later so by next Friday I should know treatment plan but I guess it depends on what they find - thats what my doc has said so far. Xx
Hi Laalaa:
As CholeSimon says, individual treatment varies. Stage 1 is usually followed by a letter and sometimes a further number. If you know your full staging it narrows down what you can expect to be offered for treatment.
I was staged 1a1 and had a simple hysterectomy. Had I been younger, I could have opted for a trachelectomy.
t x
Hi i am stage 1a1 and going for an mri this week
Teresa - did you have symptoms with your CC? Like the common bleeding/pain? I know they say its a slow progressing C but wondered how long after symptoms you had a smear, if you had symptoms of corse! My symptoms were a few years ago but obviously under 25 so they wouldnt give me a smear... cue 25 stage 1b1. Just hoping my staging stays the same or lower after docs had a look tomorrow! X
I had 1b1, radical hysterectomy including ovaries and lymph nodes. No spread found.
Hi
I think it does slightly depend on what Hospital Trust you are under .
I was diagnosed a few weeks ago with 1b1 and having a radical hysterectomy with ovaries and lympth nodes removed tomorrow !
Hoping that will be all the treatment I will need.
keep us posted how your getting on & this website is fantastic for asking questions & support.
Mel x
I will and yes this site is a god send especially in a day like today after a horrible woman told me and i quote " god itsonly stage 1 stop fussing"
Hi Laalaa:
Another member for the 1a1 club! We are outnumbered on this forum by the 1b1 crowd but we are here.
You may be offered a cone biopsy. I had that first, as a diagnostic tool. My gyno oncologist said that the cone biopsy had removed the tumour that they found. I'm an adenocarcinoma girl (abnormal glandular cells) so my doc refused to leave it at that and insisted I had some kind of hysterectomy just in case there was another tumour lurking around higher in the cervix which they hadn't seen. As it happens, there was.
If you're a squamous girl, the treatment may well be different as I don't think those tumours hide in the same way.
I do think that people don't know what to say and maybe say something they think is reassuring when in fact it's quite insensitive and offensive. The shock of a diagnosis changes everyone's life irregardless of the stage or the type. It's frightening and overwhelming and anyone who doesn't get that should keep their mouth firmly shut.
ChloeSimone: I didn't have any symptoms. I have had an annual smear ever since I've been in the US because that's what they do here. Had a clear smear, as usual in Jan '15 and was diagnosed after my smear in Mar '16. No symptoms. Having said that, I did have a mild, odourless, light discharge which I put down to sitting around in the heat in my athletic gear.
I can't believe I went from zero to 1a1 in a year especially as CC is such a slow grower. It may be that mine, which is glandular, was growing away for years but hiding far up in the cervix and it wasn't until another one got going closer to the cervix surface that the abnormal cells were spotted.
Thank God for smears and well done me for going, because I nearly skipped it this year.
Hi Laalaa :-)
I'm so sorry that horrible woman said that to you. Has she been diagnosed herself do you know? It's possible that she has received a diagnosis with a stage higher than 1 and is feeling bitter about it so even though what she said hurts, try to allow her some space :-)
As a general rule of thumb, in UK stage 1s are normally treated surgically and stage 2s are normally treated with chemo-rads. If you are a stage 1 with node involvement that will mean chemo rads, but if not, the surgical procedure can vary from anything between a LLETZ and a radical hysterectomy with cone biopsy and trachelectomy falling between those two posts.
Hope that helps :-)
Be lucky :-)
Tivoli
Hi I've got 1 2b2
Waiting to start radio & chemo and internal radio.... dreading it... 1st consultant said I will not loose hair now been told I will.. anyone have any thoughts?? Xx
Hi HB :-)
Most of us who have chemo rads have Cisplatin as the chemo side of things. This very rarely causes any hair loss. You will find that the treatment isn't nearly as fearsome as you think, and we even have some recent write-ups about how non-scary brachytherapy (internal radio) turns out to be as well. Welcome to the forum, ask all your questions on here and keep completely away from Google.
Be lucky :-)
Tivoli
I have had similar conversations with people. I have also been told...it is I ly hysterectomy look on the bright side of things ...you won't have our period...I can't believe some people's thought process
Oh FFS!
OK, some people really and truly do not know what to say. They feel, understandably, that they must say something. Maybe this one feels that she must try to help you find the positives in all this. She is clutching at straws but she means well. I know it's hard to see that from your standpoint right now but I think she meant only kindness, no matter how idiotic the comment.
Be lucky :-)
Tivoli
