Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Ovarian Cancer (Expert Forum)
CT Scan for recurrence
Answered by
Annekathryn Goodman, M.D. - Gynecologic Cancers, Complex Gynecologic, Surgeries, Palliative Care, Acupuncture
Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center
Boston - MA
This forum is for questions and support regarding ovarian cancer issues, such as: Biopsy, Chemotherapy, Clinical Trials, Genetics, Hysterectomy,Immunotherapy, Ovarian Cancer Types, Radiation Therapy, Risk Factors, Screening, Staging, Surgery.
CT Scan for recurrence
by Hazel30, May 09, 2008 08:43PM
Hello Doctor,
My Mom just had a CT scan because she is going into a 2nd recurrence.
I was wondering if you could explain in plain words what this means and how bad is it.
1. Several new subcentimeter soft tissue masses are demostrated along the capsule of the liver and spleen indicating peritoneal implants.
2. There is a peritoneal implant beneath the left hemidiaphragm and along the anterior abdominal wall. There may be peritoneal implants along the greater curvature of the stomach. There is no acitis.
3. The lung bases are clear. The liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, and adrenal glands are normal.
Her first recurrence was in 2 lymph nodes that she received treatment for in 2007. Now April 2008 recurring again in these 2 lymph nodes and this new information above.
Thank You so Much
worried doughter
Fiana
My Mom just had a CT scan because she is going into a 2nd recurrence.
I was wondering if you could explain in plain words what this means and how bad is it.
1. Several new subcentimeter soft tissue masses are demostrated along the capsule of the liver and spleen indicating peritoneal implants.
2. There is a peritoneal implant beneath the left hemidiaphragm and along the anterior abdominal wall. There may be peritoneal implants along the greater curvature of the stomach. There is no acitis.
3. The lung bases are clear. The liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, and adrenal glands are normal.
Her first recurrence was in 2 lymph nodes that she received treatment for in 2007. Now April 2008 recurring again in these 2 lymph nodes and this new information above.
Thank You so Much
worried doughter
Fiana
Doctor's Answer
by Annekathryn Goodman, M.D., May 10, 2008 10:15AM
, May 10, 2008 10:15AM
Dear Fiana,
The Ct scan shows that cancer has come back along the lining of the abdomen. No major organs are affected. She does not have fluid in her abdomen which is called ascites. So the good news is that this amount of cancer will not compromise her important body systems such as the kidney or liver function. Once a person develops alot of ascites, they can become sick from that because the ascites distends the abdomen, makes it hard to eat, and pulls fluid out of the circulatory system so that a person gets dehydrated. Your mother does not have that problem.
Words like implant or masses describe seeing a thickening along the outside surface of the abdominal organs and along the lining of the abdomen or peritoneum. Sometimes this can cause pain or discomfort. Sometimes, a person will not feel this at all. If this tumor recurrence increase in size, it can cause a slowing down of the bowels. A person would experience feeling more constipated and bloated.
it is important to get your mother on a good daily bowel regimen such as miralax or sennakot to keep the bowels moving.
You ask how bad this is. If it has been more than 6 months since her last treatment, she has a really good chance of having a good shrinkage of this cancer with chemotherapy again. It is likely that she will have a recurrence again within another year. As long as she is doing well and tolerating chemotherapy, pushing forward with more treatment is reasonable.
thank you for checking in. Please let us know how your mother is doing
best wishes
The Ct scan shows that cancer has come back along the lining of the abdomen. No major organs are affected. She does not have fluid in her abdomen which is called ascites. So the good news is that this amount of cancer will not compromise her important body systems such as the kidney or liver function. Once a person develops alot of ascites, they can become sick from that because the ascites distends the abdomen, makes it hard to eat, and pulls fluid out of the circulatory system so that a person gets dehydrated. Your mother does not have that problem.
Words like implant or masses describe seeing a thickening along the outside surface of the abdominal organs and along the lining of the abdomen or peritoneum. Sometimes this can cause pain or discomfort. Sometimes, a person will not feel this at all. If this tumor recurrence increase in size, it can cause a slowing down of the bowels. A person would experience feeling more constipated and bloated.
it is important to get your mother on a good daily bowel regimen such as miralax or sennakot to keep the bowels moving.
You ask how bad this is. If it has been more than 6 months since her last treatment, she has a really good chance of having a good shrinkage of this cancer with chemotherapy again. It is likely that she will have a recurrence again within another year. As long as she is doing well and tolerating chemotherapy, pushing forward with more treatment is reasonable.
thank you for checking in. Please let us know how your mother is doing
best wishes
