Cervical Cancer Therapy

Question: what are the approximate costs of radiation therapy and chemotherapy for cervical cancer?

Answer: bliss - Most cervical cancers are treated by surgical excision, perhaps by a limited "cone" excision of cervical tissue, or by total removal of the uterus (a hysterectomy). It depends upon whether the cancer is small and localized to one surface area of the cervix, or whether is has begun to invade the wall of th uterus, or whther there is any spread outside the uterus. Radiation most often is never used for a cervical cancer; chemotherapy sometimes for cancer that has spread (metastasized). Thus costs of radiation therapy and chemotherapy will vary greatly from zero to perhaps thousands. The treating doctor is the best source of information.

Question: Cervical cancer - alternative therapies? I have been diagnosed with cervical cancer and am trying to avoid the ultimate treatment of a hysterectomy and hope to preserve my fertility for as long as possible. I am looking for any advice about natural/alternative therapies which may control or slow down the growth of my tumour. I do not propose to ignore the advice and treatment offered by my consultant and have in fact only this week undergone surgery to remove what is hopefully most of my tumour, my question regarding alternative therapies would be for use alongside conventional medicine, hopefully to compliment them.

Answer: I could find no evidence of any effective complementary therapies for cervical cancer in PubMed. A Google search quickly found some suspect looking medical centres, that I would suggest you steer well clear of - this review examines the quality of information on the web for the treatment of cervical cancer: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6874/6/9. Here are some extracts from a very good review on the topic of nutrition and supplements. The full article is available for free. "Adequate dietary intake can improve the nutritional status of nearly all cancer survivors... During active cancer treatment, maintaining caloric balance is the most important nutritional goal. If it is not possible to meet nutritional needs through regular diet alone, nutritious snacks or drinks may be advisable. Commercially prepared liquid nutritional products (e.g., Boost,® Ensure,® Resource,® or NuBasics®) can also be helpful to assist with intake of calories and nutrients. These products are best used as only temporary aids. Even though cancer treatment can cause fatigue, light, regular physical activity during treatment should be encouraged to improve appetite, stimulate digestion, prevent constipation, maintain energy level and muscle mass, and provide relaxation or stress reduction. Advice from a nutritionally qualified health care provider can be helpful in assessing problems with eating and physical activity and in creating an individualized plan to meet the specific challenges faced during the cancer treatment phase... It is counterproductive for patients to take vitamin supplements that contain high levels of folic acid, or to eat fortified food products that contain high levels of folic acid when using chemotherapy agents, such as methotrexate, that act by interfering with folic acid metabolism... Taking antioxidant vitamins during chemotherapy or radiation therapy might ... reduce the effectiveness of those therapies, and some experts have therefore recommended against taking antioxidant supplements during such treatment... Early results from uncontrolled trials suggesting that vitamin C and beta carotene were beneficial for cervical cancer were not supported in a properly controlled trial. And, there is no good evidence that taking supplements of vitamins A, C, or E at doses above the [recommended daily amount] is associated with any clinical benefit".

Question: Is cervical cancer curable? my mom was recently treated with radio therapy and camo therapy for the cervical cancer(stage II B). It has been morethan one year she is been well and done one pap test six months after the treatment in which the result was normal. Few days back she had sevier pain in the urinery track and after four days some blood came with the urine and the pain was gone? can it be that the cancer cells are developing or is it just the UTI infections.

Answer: It is not remission of Cancer of Cervix. You need not worry on this score. It is just UTI (Urinary Track Infection) which is quite common and most of the patients get UTI after tretment by Radiation which involves the use of high-dosage x rays or other high-energy waves to kill cancer cells, often it is used for treating stages IB, IIA, and IIB cervical cancers, or in combination with surgery. With external-beam radiation therapy. This is absolutely one of the bad side effects of Radiation. It can be treated, if symptoms are typical of a urinary tract infection and you're generally in good health, antibiotics are the first line of treatment. Which drugs are prescribed and for how long depends on your health condition and the type of bacteria found in your urine. For recurrent infections proper treatment should be done by your doctor. For the informations given by you I think you can initally treat this infection with URISPAS subject to approval by your medical advisor as this drug is also likely to have certain side effects, but will be more effective. Please take care and wish your mom is alright soon. -

Question: does anyone have an idea how long it takes cervical cancer to show up after exposure to hpv??? I'm asking because I have been with the same partner for 32yrs, and it seems that if I was the source it most certainly would have shown up long before now. I have NOT been with anyone else so I didn't get anything elsewhere. Also can cervical cancer come from other than hpv?? If so please give examples. Wife recently had surgery and the follow up radiation therapy and I'm kind of curious as to what got this ball rolling in the first place.

Answer: I am not sure if it is caused by anything other than hpv. I do know that my sister was diagnosed with cervical cancer earlier this year and she had not been in a sexual relationship for over 13 years. Hope this helps, Angel

Question: for women who have had cervical cancer? I am having some slight pains in my uterus when i sit down and i wanted to know that if i was to have cervical cancer, would i have to go through kemo(spellcheck) Therapy? and could i die from this?

Answer: Hello :) Just because you have pains in your uterus it doesn't mean that you have cervical Cancer. I would suggest making an appointment with your Doc. and explain to him/her what you are feeling. Some types of cancers are treated with Chemo and others are not. It depends a lot on what stage of cancer you have and what grade it is at. I have pasted below some of the symptoms for Cervical Cancer. I am not implying this is what you have. Only a doc. is going to be able to tell you what is wrong. Best of luck to you and I hope are feeling better soon. Take Care! :) Women with cervical cancer often experience the following symptoms. Sometimes, women with cervical cancer do not show any of these symptoms. Or, these symptoms may be similar to those of other medical conditions. If you are concerned about a symptom on this list, please talk with your doctor. Most women do not have any signs or symptoms of a precancer or early stage cervical cancer. Symptoms usually do not appear until the cancer has invaded other tissues and organs. Any of the following could be signs or symptoms of cervical dysplasia or cancer: Blood spots or light bleeding between or following periods Menstrual bleeding that is longer and heavier than usual Bleeding after intercourse, douching, or a pelvic examination Pain during intercourse Bleeding after menopause Increased vaginal discharge When these symptoms do appear, women sometimes dismiss them because they often look like symptoms of other, less serious conditions. The longer cancer or precancerous cells go undetected and untreated, the lower the chance that the cancer can be cured. Any of these six symptoms should be reported to the doctor.

Question: my mother in law has been diagnosed of cervical cancer stage II. what alternative medicine can she take? she doesn't want to undergo chemotherapy & radiation therapy. can somebody give me other alternative or herbal medicine for her. thank you

Answer: She may have legitimate reason for not wanting conventional western medicine. However, if you care for her, you will convince her to pump herself full of the poison that is chemotherapy. If alternative medicine were remotely as effective as chemotherapy...don't you think it would have been BIG primetime news by now? Besides, most alternative medicine focuses on prevention....stage II right? It might be a little too late.

Question: Cervical Cancer and Hot Flashes? I had a full abdominal hysterectomy in December of 2007 and my dr told me that I had Stage 2b Cervical Cancer. I successfully completed 27 rounds of radiation therapy and then, my dr said my Cancer was in remission as of April 14, 2008. Even though it is now Summer, I am having an absolutely horrid time in dealing with Menopausal Hot Flashes. I did talk to my dr about this, but she seems to think that my cancer was something to do with hormones, so she told me she is not going to put me on any type of estrogen therapy. Does anyone have any suggestions of something I can try or use? My dr suggested that I might try a little bit of soy milk every night, but I can not tolerate the taste. Thank you in advance for your answers to my question.

Answer: Yes, my cancer was in the breast, but I had a complete hysterectomy before that and I also was overwhelmed with hot flashes. Some antidepressants help to control hot flashes. It isn't as good as hormones, but it is livable. Effexor and Paxil are ones I tried. There are probably others which would also work similarly. I think it is finding out what the common denominator is in these antidepressants. Also Black Cohosh helps a lot, but there is a debate if it has estrogen or not, so now I don't use it (my cancer is drawn to estrogen). Your doctor may need a report to show about the antidepressant. There have been studies and it has been reported in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association). Have your doctor look it up or perhaps you could find it. Good luck.

Question: I have Cervical Cancer, how will poor circulation in my legs, feet, arm and hand affect my treatments that I..? will be starting June 3rd? I will be going through Radiation therapy, Chemo and a Radical Hysterectomy. Also could anyone tell me how I can improve my circulation quickly?

Answer: I can't tell you how to improve your circulation quickly or otherwise. If I could I'd be doing it myself for my really poor circulation! I DO take a fish oil supplement which I believe, correctly or not, helps some. I did want to give you a heads up on something to watch for - after radiation I retained a humongous amount of fluid and had severe edema in both lower legs. I had no idea what was causing it at the time and it caused me serious health problems when I failed to address the problem by yelling to my doctors about it and they in turn ignored it. Now, you may have radiation of a different sort, in a different area of the body than me and you may experience none of the edema problems. Your mentioning circulation problems and radiation kind of rang a bell for me and I wanted to drop my two pennies on you. Best wishes to you in your treatment!

Question: cervical cancer surgeries? what are the options of sugery for cervical cancer? and does any of these have any bad side effects, like kemo therapy?

Answer: Before you put the cart before the horse, what stage are you? You need to see a GYN oncologist becuase they will provide better care. The research shows that patients being treated by a gyn oncologist liver longer with a better quality of life.

Question: should a total hysterectomy be done, instead of a simple, because i have stage 1b2 cervical cancer at age 25? treatment of cervical cancer removal of the ovaries at age 25 after chemoradiation therapy

Answer: I suggest having a talk with a few doctors about this. It is always good to get a second and sometimes a third opinion regarding matters such as these. I don't know much about cancer, but I feel for you having such a large decision to make at such a young age. DO the research on survival rates after both types of surgery, talk to a few doctors, and go with your gut decision. Good luck.

Question: Stage IV Cervical Cancer....stomach swelling? My soon to be mother-in-law has stage IV cervical cancer. It has spread, widely. (spine, legs, abdominal areas, medulla).Currently she is in "rehab" care in a local clinic. They have been assessing her and trying a little physical therapy & pain management. If the rehab doesn't prove to help any, she will be moved into palliative care on the other end of the building. Yesterday when visiting her, she was very disoriented. She was like this in the hospital while on morphine, which she isn't on anymore, so it struck me as odd. I felt her skin, it was cool, but her breathing was ok. But, her stomach was ballooned out like she was pregnant and she got very upset, saying that she was nauseaous. They had tried one dose of chemo one month ago that she didn't take well to, and since, they decided not to go with it again. I know some of these things, the skin, and the confusion are signs of end of life, is the stomach bloating another sign? Or could it be just buildup of gas & fluid? All of this makes sense, with what I've read, thank you. I guess what I'm trying to get at is, is this close to the end, would anyone think? She also seems to be having problems with hot/cold. She said her soup was very cold yesterday, when in fact it was still steaming. Noone can predict the end, but it seems that she's exhibiting the end-of-life signs and I want to make sure that this is very possibly it. I guess either way, the stomach thing is not a good sign I would assume.

Answer: Well, all the answers above are correct. Without looking at the patient, it is difficult to be certain what is the cause. It could be oedema because of lymphatic obstruction. It could be enlarged lymph nodes because of the spread of cancer. It could also be ureteric obstruction due to local spread and extension of the tumor to the bladder or distal ureter. However, more frequent would be either fluid retention or gaseous build-up. The fluid retention is called ascites. The gaseous build-up is due to bowel obstruction when the tumor blocks part of the bowel. It is best to ask the attending doctor what could it be and what to do with it. Most important to you as a close relative is to realise that all the possible causes above signal very advance stage of cancer. Good Day.

Question: How uncomfortable were your side effects from radiation therapy? I'm wondering how bad it really feels. I have heard it is like a bad sunburn with blisters... Did you have to wear different types of clothing due to the pain? My radiation is for Cervical Cancer and I'm just trying to get a heads up on what I am really going to feel like and for how long... I will be having daily radiation treatments for 5 1/2 weeks and Chemo for 6 weeks.

Answer: my wife had it for 6.5 weeks and for her it was pretty bad. The skin blistered like you mentioned and it weeped. She used Biofine for it and towards the end Percocet twice in the evenings to sleep. It was so hard for me seeing my wife suffer so much from radiation burns. My wife is the kind of person that HATES taking pain medication but she had to for radiation. When she had a mastectomy she was on Percocet for a day and then switched to Advil. It was horrible she would cry and there was nothing I could do about it. She had 27 weeks of chemotherapy and the oncologist told her that radiation could make her fatigued. Well at first she did not notice the fatigue, but about the third week of constantly getting that damn radiation treatments daily she did. It knocked out her energy. But we do what we MUST do to survive. That is why my wife was so brave because she was in a lot of physical pain but continued doing exactly what her doctors told her to do. Here is the good news: After your last radiation treatment the radiation will still continue to get worse before it gets better. After about three weeks she could see her skin begin to heal and the burn begin to fade. Energy gradually returns and your body recuperates. The effects of chemotherapy is still with her in the form of numbness in only some of her toes. Last treatment was about three months ago. My wife saw her radiation oncologist a month after her last radiation treatment and was very pleased with how well she recovered. She said there was no sign of the cancer and declared her healed. I pray those words are true and we continue living each day one day longer past her diagnosis of breast cancer. July 1st it will be a year since her breast cancer was discovered. She is not the same she was before the cancer, you never are. But we will open up a bottle of champagne and toast her new beginning. One day you too will be there and I hope you celebrate a victory over this terrible disease. Good luck, Dave

Question: I am having thoughts of suicide but cant afford therapy or professional counciling what can I do? It seems like every week something else falls apart I am trying to raise an eight year old child after the death of his father. He hates me and the more I try to love him the worse he acts. My bills are always late I have to borrow money every month to pay them my check is never enough and I'm already working 2 jobs.My child says I am the reason his Daddy is dead.And I am beginning to believe him.If I did commit suicide my child could live with his Maw mow and Paw pow he would finally be happy.He deserves to be happy.I feel like I am being so selfish by staying alive.I have cervical cancer and am in a lot of pain so I'm just making everyone miserable.But I don't want my son to find me somewhere dead.

Answer: Please don't commit suicide. You are not being selfish for staying alive. You really, really aren't. Actually people often say that suicide is the selfish (and easy) way out. I don't agree that it's easy. If you don't believe me, imagine your life. Now try to imagine being dead. You don't know what's going to happen when you die. I'm not saying you should be afraid of death, but I'm saying take advantage of life while you can. You may never get it back. You aren't making everyone miserable. They love you. Someone loves you. They would be so sad if you died. And they may even feel incredible guilt that it was their fault. That they should have done something, anything, to stop it. Suicide does not just affect you. It affects everyone around you. So don't die for them because that is NOT what they want. I really hope you think hard about this, and I really hope you understand the causes, and the effects. "Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem."

Question: My mom had Cancer a few years ago...? and therefore hasn't had her period in a couple of years due to chemo therapy ( so Its not her period)...Could vaginal bleeding be a sign of cervical cancer?!

Answer: Oh, im sorry, that's to bad to hear that, Hopes this links helps: http://cervicalcancer.about.com/od/cervicalcancerbasics/a/vaginal_bleed.htm http://www.medhelp.org/forums/OC/messages/766.html

Question: Mental/spiritual therapy in palliative care? My soon to be mother-in-law is going to be put into palliative care for her mestacized cervical cancer. She has been deteriorating for a few months now and her mental state is obviously not very good. When she isn't sleeping or dopey from all of the pain medication, she is very, very agitated. She will rarely speak of anything "nice", and we've been trying very hard to be gentle with her and keep positive without pushing her or ignoring her condition. Talking with her is getting increasingly rough. I've read alot about Hospice/Palliative Care and would just like to get a good idea of their "success rate" when dealing with terminal patients, who are extremely agitated, and depressed. We would love for her to be able to "calm down" and let us in a little, or to be able to talk to us about anything. Anyone have the same experience, and if so, in conditions this extreme, were they able to spiritually/mentally guide the patient to a better state of mind? Thank you kindly.

Answer: I am going through something very similar, just from your mother-in-laws perspective. I have terminal adrenal cancer. It has been very hard in like ways on my family and friends. My palliative care doctor has been a God send. I don't know how long I would have lasted without seeing her. She immediately addressed the issues like depression that needed to be taken care of. Just by changing my medications and adding something to help with the sedation caused by all the morphine, she helped me turn the corner and feel like I was living my days not dying. We are now moving into Hospice care. My palliative care doctor has put together a great team to help not just me but the whole family with counseling etc.... She now sees me at home and oversees all my care. I wish you and your family all the best. I hope this has helped in some way

Question: Uterine Cancer???? I have to make a big decision. I am pretty sick, and I really need advice. Doctor says I have 2 choices. 1. Remove the uterus and ovaries and go on hormone therapy. Or 2. Leave the ovaries (no hormone therapy) and go through radiation and chemotherapy. Any advice on which to choose? I've had cervical cancer in the past and did the radiation/chemo...but I've heard some people would practically rather die than go on hormone therapy. I appreciate any advice out there. From women please. Oh..and I already have 4 kids. So that's not a concern. Allan...my bf says it's up to me. And I don't want my kids or fam to know. And they've never dealt with it. So...I wanted to talk to women who have. :)

Answer: one of my good friends had cervical cancer when she was 19 (she's almost 32 now) and she had a hysterectomy at 26. Every woman in her family got either breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer or cervical cancer, or all of the above. She's doing fine now. There are herbal alternatives to Hormone replacement stuff. There is a store near us that could help you out with that. (HoneyComb) Good luck hon.