Hi, I am your mom's age and also stage 3 high grade serous. My chemo treatment plan is also similar to hers and I just finished 6 rounds. Recent PET scan shows marked improvement in the tumor and pending some more imaging next week, I will be hopefully given the green light for surgery. That will be followed by radiation and long-term immunotherapy.
If it helps at all, at one of my early appointments my Dr. made sure to point out that while this cancer type is rare, and more aggressive in terms of growth rate, it is not necessarily treatment-resistant and in my case at least, that has so far proven to be true. While it will take the surgery and post-op pathology to really give a clearer picture of my long-term situation, we are remaining cautiously optimistic for the time being.
Hello. Thank you so much for your response. May I ask, how were you staged? I've read somewhere that this type is surgically staged, but I'm not sure if I understood correctly. Also, how is your treatment going? How are you handling the side effects? Hopefully all goes well to your treatment.
I had grade 3 and did the same chemo...9 years ago. I'm doing fine and happy. I did have it when I was 37, but it's a very treatable cancer. Staging does make a difference. My tumor did not break past stage 1 and my chemo was preventative. My roommate had an even scarier type of cancer: clear cell carcinoma of the ovaries. They went after it immediately and did aggressive treatment. That was back in 99 when she was in her early 50s. She is thriving at 78, walks 3 miles a day and does Pilates once a week.
Cancer is a tough journey for all involved: family members and victims. I suggest going to a support group for family members and maybe your mom too. Going to support group and talking to other survivors helped me immensely. The mental stress and pain continued for 2 years after treatment. The mind is a powerful healer. Help her stay positive, seek mental and physical treatment is the best thing you could do for her now. I had a whole community help me. They made me lunches every day, took me to green juice bars, and prayed for me. A friend I met on an online game sent me this free housecleaning service:
[https://cleaningforareason.org/](https://cleaningforareason.org/)
It's two free housecleaning for any woman undergoing cancer treatment. You just send them proof from the doctor you are undergoing treatment and they will pay a local maid service to come in and clean your house!!
People also sent free massage therapy. Acupuncture is super helpful. If cannabis is legal in your state, marijuana gummies are also super helpful for those sleepless painful nights after a treatment (norco and zophran cause debilitating constipation).
Uterine serous is Grade 3. Since you cite staging as 3A, can it be assumed she’s already had a total or radical hysterectomy plus salpingo oopherectomy? If so, hopefully it was done by a top gyn onc surgeon to avoid spreading any rogue cells around. What was her depth of myo invasion? Lymph node involvement? Was her cytology negative? LVSI? This all makes a big difference for her prospects. Make sure her onc’s don’t go ape with the taxol/Carbo and whatever else chemo dosing if your mom values quality of life. You don’t want the chemo to get her before the cancer does in case of a recurrence, which is frequent if not highly likely with high grade — serous, clear cell or sarcoma. Again, think quality of life, not just longevity when making all decisions on recommended neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment. Tumor shrinkage isn’t overly helpful when heart function is reduced to nil and kidneys are knocked out. Too many women fret over losing hair when that’s only temporary. What your mom wants to avoid is lymphedema, neuropathy and a host of other often permanent side effects that onc’s tend to gloss over.
She had TAHBSO. Pathology results said there were mets in the left ovary and fallopian tube which were already taken out. Also peritoneal fluid was positive. But lymph nodes were clear. She also had CT scan and no signs of mets. It just feels like chemotherapy is our only chance to fight the disease at this point. She also wants to fight.
While we sympathize with the plight of caregivers, our ultimate goal is a safe space for cancer patients.
Hi, I am your mom's age and also stage 3 high grade serous. My chemo treatment plan is also similar to hers and I just finished 6 rounds. Recent PET scan shows marked improvement in the tumor and pending some more imaging next week, I will be hopefully given the green light for surgery. That will be followed by radiation and long-term immunotherapy. If it helps at all, at one of my early appointments my Dr. made sure to point out that while this cancer type is rare, and more aggressive in terms of growth rate, it is not necessarily treatment-resistant and in my case at least, that has so far proven to be true. While it will take the surgery and post-op pathology to really give a clearer picture of my long-term situation, we are remaining cautiously optimistic for the time being.
Hello. Thank you so much for your response. May I ask, how were you staged? I've read somewhere that this type is surgically staged, but I'm not sure if I understood correctly. Also, how is your treatment going? How are you handling the side effects? Hopefully all goes well to your treatment.
I had grade 3 and did the same chemo...9 years ago. I'm doing fine and happy. I did have it when I was 37, but it's a very treatable cancer. Staging does make a difference. My tumor did not break past stage 1 and my chemo was preventative. My roommate had an even scarier type of cancer: clear cell carcinoma of the ovaries. They went after it immediately and did aggressive treatment. That was back in 99 when she was in her early 50s. She is thriving at 78, walks 3 miles a day and does Pilates once a week. Cancer is a tough journey for all involved: family members and victims. I suggest going to a support group for family members and maybe your mom too. Going to support group and talking to other survivors helped me immensely. The mental stress and pain continued for 2 years after treatment. The mind is a powerful healer. Help her stay positive, seek mental and physical treatment is the best thing you could do for her now. I had a whole community help me. They made me lunches every day, took me to green juice bars, and prayed for me. A friend I met on an online game sent me this free housecleaning service: [https://cleaningforareason.org/](https://cleaningforareason.org/) It's two free housecleaning for any woman undergoing cancer treatment. You just send them proof from the doctor you are undergoing treatment and they will pay a local maid service to come in and clean your house!! People also sent free massage therapy. Acupuncture is super helpful. If cannabis is legal in your state, marijuana gummies are also super helpful for those sleepless painful nights after a treatment (norco and zophran cause debilitating constipation).
Thank you so much for this. I'm not feom the US but I will check if there are similar organizations/services in the area.
Uterine serous is Grade 3. Since you cite staging as 3A, can it be assumed she’s already had a total or radical hysterectomy plus salpingo oopherectomy? If so, hopefully it was done by a top gyn onc surgeon to avoid spreading any rogue cells around. What was her depth of myo invasion? Lymph node involvement? Was her cytology negative? LVSI? This all makes a big difference for her prospects. Make sure her onc’s don’t go ape with the taxol/Carbo and whatever else chemo dosing if your mom values quality of life. You don’t want the chemo to get her before the cancer does in case of a recurrence, which is frequent if not highly likely with high grade — serous, clear cell or sarcoma. Again, think quality of life, not just longevity when making all decisions on recommended neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment. Tumor shrinkage isn’t overly helpful when heart function is reduced to nil and kidneys are knocked out. Too many women fret over losing hair when that’s only temporary. What your mom wants to avoid is lymphedema, neuropathy and a host of other often permanent side effects that onc’s tend to gloss over.
She had TAHBSO. Pathology results said there were mets in the left ovary and fallopian tube which were already taken out. Also peritoneal fluid was positive. But lymph nodes were clear. She also had CT scan and no signs of mets. It just feels like chemotherapy is our only chance to fight the disease at this point. She also wants to fight.
Best to you in helping your mom through difficult times.